Lifting 20,000 lbs with a 2-leg bridle sling at a 30° horizontal sling angle, what is the force applied to each leg?

When lifting a load with a two-leg bridle sling, the tension in the sling legs must be calculated based on both the weight of the load and the angle at which the slings are positioned. In this scenario, you are lifting a total weight of 20,000 lbs using a two-leg bridle sling with a horizontal angle of 30°.

To determine how much force is applied to each leg of the sling, it's essential to understand that the load is shared between the two legs. The total weight of 20,000 lbs is distributed across both sling legs, but that distribution is affected by the angle of the slings. The tension in each leg increases as the angle decreases from the vertical.

At a horizontal angle of 30°, the vertical component of the leg tension must equal the total weight being lifted (20,000 lbs). The vertical component can be calculated using sine or cosine functions depending on how the angles are defined, but in this case, it is important to note that since there are two legs, the load is effectively halved.

When the tension in one leg is represented as T, the sum of the vertical components of the two legs must equal the total load. Therefore, the equation is:

2 * T