Spiralock says fasten it right

Sep 20, 2006

Choose the wrong fastener for the application, and the best products can fall apart. So the folks at Spiralock offer these four fastener tips:

Focus on retaining fastener tension, not torque. Bolt tension, which causes the bolt to stretch, is what actually keeps a joint together. Yet 90 percent of the torque applied to a bolted joint goes not into fastener tension, but into overcoming friction. That’s why torque is not a reliable measure of joint integrity.

Treat fasteners with respect. While fasteners often are viewed as commodities, they’re more – especially in critical applications where failure could be costly or disastrous. The basics of strength, size, material and service requirements must be considered.

Choose the right type of locking fastener for the job. Among the various types of fasteners and tooling, some offer specific advantages for certain applications. For instance, wire inserts can add strength or aid in repairing stripped threads in soft materials. And clinch nuts are good for adding grip length and thread engagement when used with thin materials.

Consider lifetime cost, including assembly, warranty and liability. For example, some mechanical locking features, such as brackets, can prove costly and tedious to use on components with multiple bolts. If not fastened properly during maintenance or rebuilds, they can pose a quality assurance risk.

Spiralock says its fasteners have a 30-degree wedge ramp at the root of the thread that mates with standard 60-degree male-thread fasteners. The wedge ramp allows the bolt to spin freely relative to female threads until clamp load is applied. Then, there’s a continuous spiral line of contact along the length of the thread that spreads the clamp force evenly over engaged threads, improving resistance to vibration, axial and torsional loading, joint fatigue and temperature extremes.

For more information, go to www.spiralock.com.

Spiralock says fasten it right

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