How does a poor sling angle affect the load's working load limit?

How does a poor sling angle affect the load's working load limit?

• A. As the sling angle increases away from vertical, the effective load per sling rises and the overall WLL decreases.
• B. WLL increases with bigger angle.
• C. Angle has no effect on WLL.
• D. WLL becomes unlimited with angle.

Answer: (A)

When lifting with slings, the load is shared by the sling legs. If the legs are nearly vertical, each leg carries only a portion of the weight. As the legs splay outward and the sling angle away from vertical increases, the vertical support from each leg decreases, so each leg must carry more of the load. The tension in each leg rises, and because the slings have a rated capacity, the overall working load limit becomes lower. So a poor sling angle increases the effective load per sling and decreases the total WLL.

When lifting with slings, the load is shared by the sling legs. If the legs are nearly vertical, each leg carries only a portion of the weight. As the legs splay outward and the sling angle away from vertical increases, the vertical support from each leg decreases, so each leg must carry more of the load. The tension in each leg rises, and because the slings have a rated capacity, the overall working load limit becomes lower. So a poor sling angle increases the effective load per sling and decreases the total WLL.