Reprint from China Fastener World Magazine, Vol. 48

Most people probably never give the fasteners that hold together most of our modern contrivances a second thought. They simply take for granted that these components will do what they were designed to do. In fact, I believe that few people really appreciate that fasteners are perhaps the lowest cost, most highly engineered components in the products that they are used in. Many times they are truly critical and our lives depend on them working flawlessly.

Although it is likely that this notion can be applied to any application, it is especially true of structural bolting technology. These are the fasteners we depend on every day to hold up bridges, buildings, and other important structures. There is a great deal of information available for the production, installation, and proper use in the consensus standards pertaining to these fastener assemblies. This article will attempt to explore the fundamental principles related to this very important category of fasteners.