(a) Plans will not normally be required, however depending on the use of the weight handling gear, submission of plans or other technical information may be required by the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection. Unless an unsafe condition is in evidence, vessel operations will not be delayed while plans or other technical information are under review. Plans, when required, shall normally include:

(1) One line electrical diagrams showing appropriate overload protection as currently required by subchapter J (Electrical Engineering) of this chapter.

(2) Plans showing hydraulic or pneumatic equipment.

(3) Stress and/or arrangement diagrams with supporting design calculations as appropriate to the specific equipment in question.

(b) When weight handling gear is built to a recognized code or specification, plans or other technical data will not normally be required. Purchase specification or vendor's information may be accepted in lieu of design calculations if sufficiently definitive of materials, design (safety) factors and operating limitations.

(c) Design information, when required, will be evaluated against the following minimum design criteria:

(1) Wet Weight Handling Gear: Wet gear shall be considered to consist of gear used to lower equipment, apparatus or objects beneath the surface of the water or for trailing objects, where the wire rope or cable is payed out beneath the surface and becomes part of the line pull at the head sheave or winch drum. Wet gear shall be designed, as a minimum, to withstand and operate in excess of the breaking strength of the strongest section or wire to be used in any condition of loading. The safety factor for all metal structural parts shall be a minimum of 1.5; i.e., the yield strength of the material shall be at least 1.5 times the calculated stresses resulting from application of a load equal to the nominal breaking strength of the strongest section or wire rope to be used. Suitable assumptions for the actual loading conditions shall be used in the design of wet gear. The lead of the wire rope from the head sheave or winch drum shall be considered to vary from the vertical and in azimuth in a manner to represent the most adverse loading condition.

(2) Other weight handling gear will be evaluated on the basis of the standards of a recognized organization or association recognized by the Commandant under §31.10-6.

(3) Hydraulic or pneumatic systems will be evaluated on the basis of Subchapter F (Marine Engineering) of this chapter.

[CGFR 67-83, 33 FR 1118, Jan. 27, 1968, as amended by CGFR 69-116, 35 FR 6863, Apr. 30, 1970; CGD 95-028, 62 FR 51219, Sept. 30, 1997]