Contributed by Bob Kozickie, Technical Sales Support Manager

The criteria for removing alloy chain from service includes excessive wear, elongation, nicks and gouges, and bent links but one additional consideration is exposure to excessive heat.  Manufacturers’ recommendations are to remove alloy chain from service due to excessive high heat exposure.  A major indicator of this exposure is a visible discoloring of the steel to a variety of blue hues progressing eventually to a grey or dark grey color. Once the alloy chain has transformed into these stages, removal may be necessary based on the application.

OSHA, ASME, NACM, and manufacturers’ recommendations are all in agreement that alloy chain is required to be removed from service once the chain has been exposed to temperatures in excess of 1000° F. There is further agreement, in a published chain heat exposure chart, which shows that alloy chain must be used at a reduced working load limit while at temperatures between 400° and 1000° F. There is also a permanent reduction in capacity which must be applied to the chain for the remainder of the service life of the chain based on the exposure temperature.

The technical explanation is the fact that alloy chain will begin bluing at varying shades between 560° and 790° F. The bluing is an indication that the chain has seen excessive heat but maybe not have exceeded the 1000° F removal threshold.  If the chain is being used in what we would consider “normal use” at ambient temperatures and the chain is blue, the chain was overheated in excess but no reduction in capacity has taken place. This is why the chain must be removed from service. Usually, when chain is being used in an environment where the potential for excessive heat exposure is imminent, consideration is given to those chains and they become dedicated to a given application with the high heat reduction applied.

There is much greater concern over bluing with Grade 100 chain versus Grade 80 or Grade 63 chain. This is due to the fact that tempering temperature for Grade 100 is around 650°. If Grade 100 is blue, most likely all of the tempering has been removed and the concern for embrittlement and loss of ductility is raised considerably. Conversely, Grade 63 can likely turn blue and not have as much effect on the tempering since Grade 63 tempering temperature is about 850°.

One interesting side note is how this possibly came to be is a phenomenon called “Blue Brittleness” which occurred during WWII. When the large anti-aircraft guns were firing shells at planes, the ends of the gun would get very hot to the point they would turn blue after shooting off several rounds continuously. The gun barrels all then began to crack from the excessive exposed heat. The US Navy had to develop a new tempering procedure for the gun barrel manufacturing process. The “recipe” was finally developed so they were able to change out the barrels with the new design which solved the problem and the US won the war. There is correlation between this incident and the use of alloy chain being used at or beyond its tempering temperature.

Contributed by Bob Kozickie, Technical Sales Support Manager

Governments have established regulations and standards within the workplace in order to provide the highest degree of safety for all employees. These regulations and standards have various degrees of authority depending on whether they are statutory, consensus, or 3^rd party documents. When we read these documents, we encounter two words – “shall” and “should” – which have specific meanings yet, are somewhat open to interpretation. 

The OSHA Standards is a Statutory Document, and the first set of regulations which must be adhered to in order to maintain compliancy. All requirements that must be followed within the standard are defined by the word “shall”. The term “shall” is clearly defined by OSHA as mandatory. This means that the regulation as stated within the Part Number and Subpart Title as a requirement must be followed exactly as written. (This will also hold true for all consensus documents which OSHA commonly references such as The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).) 

An example of the use of “shall” can be found in OSHA Standard Number 1910.184(c)(1):  Slings that are damaged or defective shall not be used.  

The term “should” on the other hand has a more ambiguous meaning. “Should” is defined by OSHA as meaning a recommendation. According to Dictionary.com, “should” is a word that is used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness. Adherence to a “should” reference is not necessarily required; however, it is most beneficial to be followed unless a rational conditional or contingent reason is given for that portion of the standard to not be followed. 

When reviewing Standards and Regulations, the word “shall” is far more common, but it’s important to know the difference between these two words.

Contributed by Bob Kozickie, Technical Sales Support Manager

Alloy steel chain slings are the most durable products used for lifting and rigging. So, why do alloy chain slings fail? Every year we read and hear stories of catastrophic chain sling breaks. When these failures happen, the broken sling components are then sent back to the sling manufacturer or an independent third party for detailed examination, testing, and laboratory analysis.  The resulting failure analysis report frequently comes back to one of a short list of conclusions. We will take a look at some of the most common reasons that these incidents occur.

The first reason to look at why a chain sling failure occurs is due to failure to inspect. OSHA 1910.184 states that alloy steel chain slings shall be inspected on a daily basis by a competent person as designated by the employer. Employers are also required to have a documented written inspection for every alloy chain sling at intervals not greater than once every 12 months. These records must also be made available for examination. Chain sling inspections may be required to be inspected on a more frequent basis depending on frequency of use, the severity of service conditions, and the nature of lifts being made. Inspections detect sling component areas where the criteria for removal are noted. Alloy chain slings that have remained in service for extended period of time without being thoroughly inspected are most susceptible to failure.

Ensuring that a Lift Plan, Risk Assessment, and Load Control are followed will significantly reduce the possibility of a chain sling failure. A qualified or certified rigger knows the specific information they need to have in order to properly and safely lift their loads. The key facts are the weight of the load, number and locations of the attachment points, amount of headroom, and the center of gravity (COG). Failure to take the time to verify these key pieces of data can result in a catastrophic chain sling failure. This, in addition to using industry approved and properly inspected rigging hardware components, will minimize the risk of the sling failure. Many times riggers have used componentry or grades of chain other than grade 80 or 100 to lift their loads. Grade 80 and 100 is the only chain and attachments approved for overhead lifting by OSHA, ASME, and manufacturers’ recommendations.

The remaining common reasons that alloy steel chain slings fail is abuse and misuse. These can include:  overloading the rated sling capacity, twisting the chain or tying it in knots to shorten a leg, failure to store the slings properly, not padding the corners of sharp loads, and dragging chain slings across a concrete floor among other possible conditions. Respect for rigging leads to higher safety standards for the company, employees, co-workers, property, but most of all yourself and your family!

There are a number of steps that we can take to limit the possibility of an alloy steel chain sling failure from occurring. The first step is performing a daily sling inspection to help to catch a damaged sling between the required annual inspection intervals. Taking the time to properly prepare a Rigging Plan will significantly reduce the chances of any rigging failures. Finally, extensive knowledge and understanding of basic safety information, proper training, and safety education all result in a safer work environment.

Contributed by Bob Kozickie, Technical Sales Support Manager

Peerless Grade 80 alloy chain has dominated the lifting and rigging market for many years. This is due to the fact that alloy chain is strong, durable, ductile, and can perform well in extreme environmental conditions. It also has the versatility to be used in a variety of different applications. Advancements in metallurgy and process technology is now helping to transition the market into making Grade 100 alloy chain the preferred riggers choice. These advancements have been attained without compromising any of the characteristics required to be compliant with ASME, ASTM, ANSI, and NACM Standards. There are a couple of differences and many similarities between the two grades but the Grade 100 working load limit makes it the best choice for lifting.

Looking at the two grades, capacity is the predominant feature which gives Grade 100 the greatest advantage. Grade 100 chain has roughly a 25% higher capacity rating when compared to a comparable size Grade 80. This increase has given a significant ergonomic advantage to the Grade 100. For example, a 3/8” Grade 80 single leg chain sling has a capacity of 7,100 lbs., where as a 3/8 Grade 100 Single leg chain sling has a capacity of 8,800 lbs. The 1,700 lbs. of additional capacity can play a major factor if the rigger needs to lift a 4 Ton load. Lifting this load would require the rigger to use a 1/2” Grade 80 chain sling. 3/8” Grade 100 has an approximate weight of 1.5 lbs/ft and the 1/2” Grade 80 weighs about 2.5 lbs/ft. The weight differential would be compounded if the chain sling had a long reach with multiple lifting legs. This same differential is carried out through all sizes of Grade 100 alloy chain.

Alloy lifting chain will continue to evolve with higher lifting capacities which will give the rigger additional advantages when using chain slings to make their lifts.

Answer by Jon Fryman, Product Specialist & Training Manager

Alloy Chain, as defined by the National Association of Chain Manufacturers (NACM) is Grade 80 and/or Grade 100 premium quality, high strength chain that has been heat treated and is used in a variety of sling and tie down applications.

There are four methods for cutting Alloy Chain:

1. Use a Hydraulic Cutter. Hydraulic Cutters are designed to cut smaller diameters of chain up to 5/8” in diameter.  Some Hydraulic Cutters can go even larger.  The benefits of using this method are that it is easy, clean, quick and you don’t have to worry about damaging adjoining links.
2. Use a Plasma Cutter. Using a Plasma Cutter is very precise and quick.  It can cut chain up to 1” in diameter and, if done correctly, will not damage adjoining links.
3. Use an Abrasive Wheel. An Abrasive Wheel can cut chain up to 1” in diameter – and even larger in some cases.  If you are using this method, you must be careful not to cut or nick the adjoining links.  The use of an Abrasive Wheel will shoot out sparks, so you must have a higher degree of safety and awareness of your surroundings.
4. Use a Torch: For this method, you should consult a Trained and Qualified Technician, as in a “Sling Manufacturer” for proper methods and procedures.  The reason for this is because you must be careful to prevent any “high temperature” issues with adjoining links on either side of the link being torched.  The adjoining links could possibly get too hot, thus changing the dynamic of the heat treat, tempering and ductility.

Chain sling users can help avoid damage and possible accident by recognizing these 5 improper practices and preventing their occurrence.

1.  Overloading – can lead to rapid wear, elongation and possible sling failure.
   
2. Improper angle of lift – small angles of lift result in excessive loads being imposed on each leg of the sling.  The results on the sling are the same as for overloading.
   
3. Faulty hook-up
   1. Point loading of hooks.  Wedging or forcing the hook point into the loads results in the hook bending and failure.  Hooks should not face in toward the load.
   2. Slipping of unbalanced loads.
   3. Lifting with twisted or knotted chains can impose loads in excess of rated capacity and spin the load dangerously.
4. Impact loading – jerking or snatching loads (shock loading) when lifting can impose loads on the chain in excess of the actual weight of the object being lifted.  These dynamic forces can break or damage the sling.
   
5. Improper storage of chain slings – chain slings placed in areas where loads may be deposited on the sling, where traffic can run over the sling or in areas where they are exposed to corrosive action can severely damage the slings.
   

For more information about this topic, please see the Peerless Chain Sling User’s Manual (10.20).

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On Saturday, May 20^th Peerless Industrial Group was presented an award recognizing our 100 year anniversary by Robert Martinez, Jr., President of IAMAW.

Pictured, from left to right:  Carlo Lonardi, CEO/President of KITO Americas; Robert Martinez, Jr., President of IAMAW; Tom Wynn, KITO Senior Advisor & Past President of Peerless Industrial Group; Yoshio Kito, KITO President & CEO; George Kosidowski, President of Peerless Industrial Group, Inc.; Phil Gruber, GVP.

 

On Saturday, May 20th, Peerless Industrial Group, Inc. had their 100 Year Celebration.  Employees, retirees and special guests gathered under two large tents for great speeches, food, and conversation.  Tours were offered to attendees and everyone had a great time, in spite of the dreary cold weather.  

Winona Daily News shared a story Sunday regarding the celebration, On the road to success, as well as second article, Peerless’ history is one of growth, tradition.