HIGH-STRENGTH BOLTS AS A MEANS OF FABRICATING STEEL STRUCTURES

IF THE TENSION IN THE RIVETS DUE TO THEIR COOLING WILL ENABLE A RIVETED JOINT TO FUNCTION BY VIRTUE OF THE FRICTION BETWEEN THE CONNECTED PARTS, IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE SAME RESULTS COULD BE OBTAINED IF THE RIVETS WERE REPLACED BY BOLTS IN WHICH TENSION IS INDUCED BY TIGHTENING THE NUTS. THE RESULTING BOLTED JOINT WOULD FUNCTION BY VIRTUE OF THE FRICTION BETWEEN THE PARTS THAT ARE CLAMPED TOGETHER BY THE BOLTS. MOREOVER, THE CARBON-STEEL RIVETS COULD BE REPLACED BY HIGH-STRENGTH BOLTS, THUS INCREASING THE POSSIBLE CLAMPING FORCE, AND ALSO INCREASING THE RESISTANCE TO SHEAR OF THE BOLTED JOINT TO A VALUE CONSIDERABLY GREATER THAN THE RESISTANCE TO SHEAR OF THE SIMILAR RIVETED JOINT. THUS IT WOULD SEEM FROM, (1) RATIONALIZATION, (2) LABORATORY TESTS, AND (3) OBSERVATIONS ON FIELD INSTALLATIONS; THAT STRUCTURAL JOINTS FABRICATED WITH HIGH-STRENGTH BOLTS NOT ONLY SHOULD BE, BUT ACTUALLY ARE, SUPERIOR TO SIMILAR JOINTS FABRICATED WITH HOT-DRIVEN RIVETS. THE FACTS SHOULD BE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE GOOD RESULTS DESCRIBED FROM THE USE OF BOLTED JOINTS, IT IS NECESSARY THAT: (1) THE BOLTS BE MADE OF A STEEL HAVING A MINIMUM YIELD POINT OF THE ORDER OF 85,000 PSI. AND AN ULTIMATE STRENGTH OF A LEAST 105,000 PSI.; (2) THE NUTS MUST BE TIGHTENED SO AS TO PRODUCE A TENSION AT THE ROOT OF THE THREADS OF THE BOLTS EQUAL, APPROXIMATELY, TO THE YIELD POINT OF THE STEEL; (3) HARDENED STEEL WASHERS OF AMPLE THICKNESS MUST BE USED UNDER BOTH THE HEADS AND THE NUTS; (4) SUITABLE SEA#N

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/30/30-014.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 30, pp 136-143. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Wilson, Wayne M
  • Paxson, G S
  • Stewart, W C
  • Ruble, E J
• Publication Date: 1951

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Thirtieth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board Held at Washington, D.C., January 9-12, 1951
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 30
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bolted joints; Bolts; Friction; Joints; Rivets; Steel structures; Tension
• Old TRIS Terms: High strength bolts; Riveted joints
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00209442
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 2 1971 12:00AM