MANUAL

SOLMAX.COM

Sling ProcedUres

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Sling ProcedUresTo facilitate the unloading of rolls and their onsite manipulations, Solmax supplies each shipped roll with

two (2) Eye & Eye web slings (Figure 1). The slings supplied by Solmax are made of Polyester and have a

5:1 safety factor. Solmax generally supplies the “Flat Untapered” (Figure 2) type but for convenience and

availability reasons, Solmax might supply some “Flat Tapered” slings (Figure 3).

Figure 2 - Flat Untapered Slings Figure 3 - Flat Tapered Slings

EYE & EYE:

Figure 1 - Eye & Eye Web Sling

Although Solmax supplies these slings to its customers, it is Solmax’s recommendation and the

customer’s responsibility that any worker that uses these slings, follow an appropriate training on how

to use and manipulate this handling equipment, in order to prevent any incident from occurring. As a

compliment to the training, you will find valuable technical information, as well as unloading guidelines

for the slings that will facilitate their use and help prevent incidents, in this document.

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SLing TEchnicAL inFOrMATiOnThe slings supplied with Solmax geosynthetic rolls are made of 100% polyester. They have a Working

Load Limit (W.L.L.) of 3,100 lbs and a 5:1 safety factor, which means that the strength needed to break

the slings, would be around 15,500 lbs. Each sling measures 10 ft. in length and is tested as per the

ASME B30.9-2006 Safety Standard for Cableways, Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Hooks, Jacks, and Slings.

This information can be found in a table, such as Table 1, located on a tag on each sling.

Solmax’s PE rolls weigh approximately 4,000 lbs each. As such, two (2) slings should always be used

to lift the rolls. As illustrated in Figure 4, Solmax always supplies two (2) slings per roll. Do not exceed

capacities of the slings working load.

Table 1 - Sling Properties Tag

MATEriAL 100% POLYESTEr

W.L.L. 3100 LBS

S/F 5:1

E/L 10 ft

STANDARD ASME B30.9-2006

M/D MONTH YEAR

Figure 4 - PE rolls with slings attached

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inSPEcTiOn

The slings supplied are mainly for unloading purposes. However, if the slings have not been damaged,

they can be reused for further handling of the rolls. Prior to using any sling, new or used, the following

information should always be verified.

TYPE WhAT TO LOOK FOr hOW OFTEn

Initial Verify if the correct sling is

being used

Prior to the first use as new or

as repaired

Frequent

• Acid or Caustic burns

(Figure 5)

• Melting or charring

• Holes, tears, cuts (Figure 6), snags

• Broken/worn stitching in load-bearing splices

• Excessive abrasive wear (Figure 7)

• Knots (Figure 8)

• Excessive pitting or corrosion, or cracked, distorted or broken fittings

• Weld Splatters (Figure 9)

• Frays and Pulls (Figure 10)

• Other visible damage

• Discoloration or brittle on any part of the sling.

• Missing / illegible markings

Daily

Periodic Same as “Frequent” inspection Based on how often the sling is

used and the severity of service

conditions, but at least annually

Table 2 - Sling inspection Procedures

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SLing AciD BUrn SLing KnOT

Figure 5 - Sling Acid Burn Figure 8 - Sling Knot

SLing cUTS

Figure 6 - Sling cuts Figure 9 - Weld Splatters

SLing WELD SPLATTErS

SLing ABrASiOn

Figure 10 - Sling Frays and PullFigure 7 - Sling Abrasion Wear

SLing FrAYS AnD PULLS

Should any of the damages described in Table 2 or seen in Figures 5 to 10 be identified on the sling, that

sling should not be used as its W.L.L. will be compromised. As damage to the slings may occur during the

unloading process, Solmax supplies a few extra slings to its customers with each shipment.

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SLing hAnDLing inFOrMATiOnAlthough the W.L.L. of the slings is 3,100 lbs, many factors will affect the effectiveness of the sling.

As such, please find the following information.

hAnDLing METhODAs seen in Table 3, there are different ways to lift Solmax’s rolls using the supplied slings.

Table 3 - Sling handling Methods

The slings supplied by Solmax are attached to each roll using the “Choker Hitch”. However, it is the sling

user’s responsibility to use the appropriate handling method for their use. As such, Table 4 explains the

effects of the handling method on the W.L.L.

chOKEr hiTch

Sling passes through one

end around the load, while

the other end is places on

the hook. Load control is

limited with only one sling

rigged in a choker hitch.

A choker hitch will never

provide full 360 degree

contact. For full contact

use a Double Wrap Choke

Hitch. The Choke Point

should always be on the

sling body, not on the sling

eye, fitting base of the eye

or fitting, splice or tag.

VErTicAL hiTch

One end is on the

hook, while the

other end attached

directly to the

load. Use a tagline

to prevent load

rotation.

BASKET hiTch

The sling cradles

the load while

both eyes

are attached

overhead. As

with the choker

hitch, more than

one sling may

be necessary to

help ensure load

control.

Choker Hitch 2,480 lbs

Vertical Hitch 3,100 lbs

Basket Hitch 6,200 lbs

handling Method W.L.L.

Table 4 – handling method and W.L.L.

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Figure 11 - Sling-to-load Angle

Sling-to-load angle

Sling-to-load Angle (°)

Loss FactorSling-to-load Angle

(°)Loss Factor

90 1.000 55 .8192

85 .9962 50 .7660

80 .9848 45 .7071

75 .9659 40 .6428

70 .9397 35 .5736

65 .9063 30 .5000

60 .8660 25 .4226

LOSS FAcTOr chArT

Table 5 - Loss Factor chart

As Solmax supplies two (2) slings per roll and each roll weighs approximately 4,000 lbs, depending on other

conditions that will be described in future sections, the choker hitch method should be considered a proper

handling method of the rolls. However, it is the user’s responsibility to ensure that this handling method is

the proper one, based on all the lifting variables.

SLing-TO-LOAD LiMiTThe horizontal angle formed between the sling leg and the “top” of the load is called the sling-to-load angle

(Figure 11). Ideally, this angle should be at a 90° angle or in other words, vertical.

As Table 5 shows, the loss factor for the W.L.L. decreases as the sling-to-load angle decreases.

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To evaluate if the sling-to-load angle used is appropriate to lift the rolls, Formula (1) should be used.

𝑊.𝑊.𝑊.𝑊=𝑊𝑊 𝑊 𝑊.𝑊.𝑊.𝑊 (1)

Example:

If 2 slings supplied by Solmax, that have no visible damages identified on the rolls, are used as Choker

Hitches to lift a 4,000 lbs roll at 70° Sling-to-load angle, the following calculation should be performed.

𝑊.𝑊.𝑊.𝑊= .9397 𝑊 2,480 𝑊 2=4,661 𝑊𝑊𝑊

Therefore, if used as choker hitches and at a 70° sling-to-load angle, the slings supplied by Solmax will

have a W.L.L. greater than 4,000 lbs and be the proper handling method to lift Solmax’s PE rolls.

Based on Table 5, the minimum sling-to-load angle, when using the choker hitch handling method, to

carry a 4,000 Solmax PE roll with two (2) slings is 55°. Therefore, Solmax does not recommend using

the supplied slings with a sling-to-load angle smaller than 55° when using the choker hitch method.

Should a different handling method be used or if other variables, such as the ones described in future

sections affect the effectiveness of the sling, the minimum sling-to-load angle may vary.

chOKEr AngLEWhen using the choker hitch handling method, the location of the choke on the roll will have an effect on

the effectiveness of the W.L.L. Figure 12 shows different choker angles that can occur during handling of

the rolls.

Figure 12 - choker Angle

30 deg

60 deg

180 deg

90 deg

120 deg

135 deg

Over 120 100

90-120 87

60-89 74

30-59 62

0-29 49

Angle ofchoke Degree

rated capacity %

LoAd

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When transporting a load, the choker angle should always be greater than 120°. When the choker angle

is below 120°, the rated capacity is reduced as per the Figure 12. As an example, if two (2) slings with a

sling-to-load angle of 80° and a choker angle of 70°, the W.L.L. would be calculated as follows:

𝑊.𝑊.𝑊.𝑊=𝑊𝑊 𝑊 𝑊𝑊 𝑊 𝑊.𝑊.𝑊.𝑊 (2)

𝑊.𝑊.𝑊.𝑊= .9397 𝑊 0.74 𝑊 2,480 𝑊 2=3,449 𝑊𝑊𝑊

Therefore, the slings used in this example would be at risk of breaking and should not be used in this

configuration. For this reason, Solmax recommends to always use choker angles greater than 120° to

avoid any failures.

Handling Equipment

The same way the sling-to-load angle will affect the effectiveness of the W.L.L., the angle within the eye

of the sling will reduce it as well. Figure 13 shows different types of handling equipment and their effect

on the angle within the eye.

Solmax has not collected any data on the exact loss factor of using one handling method over another.

However, a greater eye angle will decrease the effectiveness of the W.L.L. more than a smaller angle.

Therefore, the sling user should make every effort to reduce this angle. As such, Solmax does not

recommend the use of forklifts during unloading given their effect on the angle within the eye.

Figure 13 - handling equipment effects on angle within the eye

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Also very important to consider when choosing handling equipment is if the selected equipment can cut

the sling. The most common cause for a sling to be taken out of service is for showing signs of cutting.

Therefore, the handling equipment should be free of sharp edges that can damage the sling and reduce

its effectiveness.

For the reasons mentioned above, Solmax recommends the use of hooks (Figure 14) when handling rolls

with slings.

TrAnSPOrTATiOn TErrAinWhile the dead load of an average Solmax geomembrane roll is approximately 4,000 lbs, its dynamic

load can be substantially increased when driving on an uneven bumpy road. The up and down

movement of the roll when driving on a bumpy road, will put stress on the slings that may break them.

Construction jobsites temporary roadways are usually made of uneven bumpy roads. Taking this reality

into consideration, when using slings to transport geomembranes rolls on a jobsite, every effort should

be made to reduce the up and down movement of the rolls, such as driving at a slower pace and trying

to avoid large bumps and holes.

User training

Solmax recommends that any user of the supplied slings follows a proper training for handling loads

using slings. These trainings are usually offered by the local Health and Safety agencies under course

titles such as “Hoisting” and/or “Rigging”. Please contact your local Health and Safety agency for more

details.

Figure 14 - recommended hook for sling handling

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cOncLUSiOn & rEcOMMEnDATiOnSolmax supplies with each roll of geomembrane slings that can assist our customers in handling the

purchased rolls. Each supplied sling has a tag describing its physical properties and its testing certification.

Although these slings are considered appropriate handling equipment for the rolls, the handling methods

will greatly affect the performance of these slings. It is the user’s responsibility to verify prior to each use

that the sling is appropriate for the task at hand, to use the proper handling equipment and methods, and

to obtain the proper training. Solmax cannot be held responsible for any damage or incidents that occur

due to improper handling of the supplied slings.

For more information on the supplied slings for handling of geomembranes rolls by Solmax, please

contact your Solmax representative.

SOLMAX.COM

OIL & GAS CONTAINMENTSYSTEMS

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HEADQUARTERVARENNES, QC | CANADA

Solmax is not a design professional and has not performed any design services to determine if Solmax’s goods comply with any project plans or specifications, or with the application or use of Solmax’s goods to any particular system, project, purpose, installation or specification.