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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 10 (March 21, 1927)

Use Of Slings. — Some Practical Hints

page 27

Use Of Slings.
Some Practical Hints

(C. G. S.)

Two important, but seldom considered items which govern the amount that any sling will safely lift, are (a) the condition of the sling, and (b) the method of securing the sling to the hook.

The first thing to do before using any rope or rope sling, is to ascertain the condition of its various constituent strands. This can be quickly done by untwisting a few turns of the rope, when a careful examination will show any strands which have been broken by chafing. There is considerable wear on the inner strands of a rope and should any be broken, the rope should be replaced before material damage is done.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Breaking Strain is at X.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Breaking Strain is at X.

There are two methods of securing any sling to a hook, a wrong way and a safety-first way. A little consideration will show that, if a rope is secured to a hook as shown in Fig. 1, the rope is subject to a severe strain when it passes over the hook. If fastened as shown in Fig. 2, each of the parallel sides of the rope will support half the load—therefore this method is twice as safe as that shown in Fig. 1.

This is a point worth considering when not only your safety, but the safety of others is at stake.

Many ropes are damaged through being used to lift objects having sharp corners, without first padding the corners around which the rope passes. This is a most dangerous practice in that the damage done to the rope is not apparent unless a careful examination is made.

Wire ropes should never be knocked or hit in any manner with hammers or other metallic articles. If the wire rope has to be shifted, either do it by hand or with a broad piece of wood.

When lifting anything with a crane always take the first lift slowly, elevating the object just clear of its former position and allowing it to rest there for a few moments. This will give any hidden defects in the lifting gear time to develop, saving personal injury as well as needless breakages.

Improvements At Hillside

Improvements At Hillside

The removal of the stores building (illustrated above) to a new site, was recently successfully undertaken in connection with the new workshops scheme at Hillside. The building, which measures 90 ft. by 30 ft., was placed on skids and then jacked over to its new site. The weight of the building with the stores it contained at the time of removal was approximately 150 tons. The work was carried out without a hitch by the Department's maintenance staff under the direction of Leading Carpenter Clements.