Tight or Not, This Bolt Tells

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Excerpt: The VLI or Visual Load Indicator is a tension indicator built into the head of a bolt or stud. Reading the dial tells whether or not the bolt has reached its proper fastener load. If the bright yellow tension indicator stripe is hidden on the black face, clamp load remains assured within ±5%. If th …

Cardinal Fastener’s Birdie Chart

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Excerpt: Several years ago, Cardinal Fastener developed a very simple, easy to read one page catalog, known in the industry as the "Birdie Chart™."  The Birdie Chart makes it easy to identify at a glance our manufacturing diameter range, the grades and head styles, as well as a description of the services …

Free washer catalog shows 24,000 nonstandard possibilities

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Excerpt: A 2010 Washer Catalog features an increased selection of 24,000 non-standard flat washer and spacer sizes available without tooling charges. The complimentary catalog from Boker’s Inc, Minneapolis, provides easy reference to available washers and spacers, which include ODs from 0.08 to 5.140 in. a …

Better Ways to Check Bolt Tension

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Excerpt: Wind turbine operations and maintenance procedures call for a 100% inspection of fastener tension after 500 hours of operation. This work is costly and can easily take a number of days to complete because each fastener is typically checked with a torque wrench to verify its proper tension. Torque i …

18,000 core parts online

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Excerpt: JW Winco offers a catalog with some 18,000 core items, standard parts, and engineering guidelines in about 1,000 color pages. A current line of modernly designed, ergonomically shaped, standard components, and its most recent patented products give equipment designed by others a 21st century look, f …

Tensioning bolts hydraulically

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Excerpt: Hydraulic mounting equipment from Riverhawk Co., New Hartford, NY, consist of specialized tools for installing and removing compressor wheels, thrust discs, and hydraulically fitted coupling hubs. The company says its bolt tensioning equipment has advantages of A modular design that …

Two ways to check bolt tension

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Excerpt: Construction standards say to check the tension of the bolts on a wind turbine and tower after it’s been working for 500 to 600 hours. That task can take a couple days because there are many bolts to check. However, bolts with built-in tension-sensing devices can reduce the task to one hour. W …

How small tools generate big bolt tension

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Excerpt: A Superbolt or multi-jackbolt tensioner is a direct replacement for hex nuts, covered nuts, and bolts. They spin onto existing bolt or stud and provide a better way to bolt up the joint. Multi-jackbolt tensioners consist of a hardened washer which protects equipment and provides a hardened, flat …

A brief tour of a bolt factory

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Excerpt: All raw materials used to manufacturer products at AA Anchor Bolt Inc, Northville, Mich., is melted and manufactured in the U.S. by certified steel mills. The company inventories over 600,000 lb of material which allows for quick turnarounds. Threading capabilities range from ¼ to 5 in. The com …

A short course on tightening bolts

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Excerpt: Engineers at Boltech Mannings, West Newton, Pa, suggest a better way to tighten a nut or tension a bolt. Traditional methods of tightening nuts, bolts, and studs such as slugging, hand wrenching, or impact wrenching, says the company, are often inefficient and dangerous. Accurate and dependable …