Archive > fasteners

The proper pre-loading of cyclically stressed fasteners is crucial to their performance. By pre-load, I mean the tension applied to a fastener through tightening before any service loads are applied. If we are to optimise the design of the fastener for minimum mass, this is an especially important point. If the load is too great, we will overload the fastener or the joint; if it is too little, we may fail the joint through separation. Of course, in optimising the design of any given...

There are a huge number of materials from which fasteners can be made, but not all are suited to all applications. Materials from which commercially available threaded fasteners used in motorsport are made range from various polymers through aluminium and titanium to high-strength steels and superalloys. Some of these choices are not available to us owing to specific regulations that either proscribe the use of certain materials altogether, or limit the choice of materials from which...

The subject of the plating of fasteners is one that causes some debate. Many companies refuse to contemplate the use of plated fasteners, while some manufacturers will supply them only at a customer's insistence and with a waiver that absolves them of any responsibility for losses resulting from a breakage. Other companies are much happier to supply plated fasteners, however, having taken every precaution to minimise the chances of embrittlement before, during and after the actual...