Which statement about horizontal load angle and stress is correct?

• A. As horizontal load angle decreases, stress increases.
• B. As horizontal load angle decreases, stress decreases.
• C. Only vertical load angle matters.
• D. Horizontal load angle has no effect on stress.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how the geometry of the lift path affects the force in the rigging members. When the horizontal angle between the lift lines is reduced, the load path becomes tighter and the force that each leg must resist increases to balance the same weight. In practice, a smaller horizontal angle concentrates more of the load into the rigging members, raising the tension and the stress in slings and hardware. That’s why decreasing the horizontal load angle leads to higher stress, making it a critical factor to monitor during rigging operations. The other statements ignore the impact of this horizontal geometry or claim it has no effect, which isn’t accurate for how load transfer works in multi-leg rigging.