The plane of the shouldered eyebolt shall be aligned in the direction of what?

• A. Pull
• B. Gravity
• C. Sheave Rotation
• D. Torque

Answer: (A)

The force should be carried in pure tension along the bolt’s axis. For a shouldered eyebolt, aligning the plane of the eye with the direction of pull ensures the load path goes straight through the shank and eye, avoiding bending moments on the bolt. When the eyebolt is oriented so the pull aligns with its axis, the strength of the connection is used as intended and the risk of failure is minimized.

Gravity is not the controlling direction here because loads in rigging come from the actual pull of the line or strap, which can vary with setup. Twisting or rotating the hardware (torque or sheave-related effects) isn’t the primary consideration for the plane orientation; those issues can introduce their own stresses but are not what this alignment aims to optimize.