rigging

rigging

1. the shrouds, stays, halyards, etc., of a vessel

2. the bracing wires, struts, and lines of a biplane, balloon, etc.

3. any form of lifting gear, tackle, etc.

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

rigging

[′rig·iŋ]

(aerospace engineering)

The shroud lines attached to a parachute.

(naval architecture)

Collectively, all the ropes and chains employed to support and work the masts, yards, booms, and sails of a vessel.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

stage rigging

Collectively, the ropes, wires, blocks, pulleys, pins, counterweights, winches, and other pieces of stage equipment required for the movement of scenery from overhead.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

rigging

The final adjustment and alignment of an aircraft and its flight control systems to provide the proper aerodynamic reaction. See rigging position.

An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Rigging

 

(1) The ropes and lines aboard a vessel used to support spars, hoist cargo, and handle sails. Standing rigging, which includes shrouds and stays, serves to secure spars, including masts and topmasts. Both ends of a line of the standing rigging, which may consist of a steel cable, chain, or rod with a turnbuckle, are permanently fastened. Running rigging is used to hoist and lower signals, ship’s boats, booms, and cargo; on sailing vessels it is used to handle the sails and the movable spars. One end of the line of the running rigging is usually made of cable or chain and fastened either permanently or to a movable element, such as a cargo hook; the other end of the line is pulled by a traction mechanism or is fastened temporarily. On sailing vessels, the running rigging for handling movable spars includes halyards for hoisting yards, braces for swinging and trimming yards horizontally, and lifts for raising or lowering yards; the running rigging for handling sails includes halyards, sheets, brails, and tacks. The strength and operating condition of lines in the important parts of rigging used in cargo hoists and shipboard safety equipment, such as mooring or life-saving gear, are prescribed by classification societies.

(2) Cables, slings, and chains used in combination with hoisting gear to lift heavy loads and equipment for assembly, construction, and other operations.

E. G. LOGVINOVICH

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.