There isn't a whole lot of "news" about socket head cap screw products in our industry

today. That shouldn't mean that we shouldn't give it thought anymore. Giving too little
attention to bolted joints with high strength fasteners is what creates most problems in the
field.

Socket cap screw products don't get their deserved credit when referred to as a
"commodity" or "just a bolt." They are a high strength machine element, to be used by
intent, not by accident. The frequency of needless failures increases as education and
training about fastening decreases in schools and in the industrial workplace. This is a
good space in which to review the principles of sound joints and well-chosen fasteners to
lessen the headache and expense of those avoidable incidents.

First, let's begin with joint design. There seems to be less and less of it done these days,
but there are many good resources out there for those willing to undertake it. Many
socket cap screw manufacturers treat the subject in their technical handbooks, and using
the information of several in concert can be of great benefit. Bengt Blendulf's seminars
have been of greatest help to me in understanding how to begin. He outlines the
following design principles:

1 To develop sufficient clamp load to prevent joint separation, slippage, leakage, etc.

2 To prevent failure of fasteners and other joint components due to excessive loading.

3 To determine the preferred failure mode if the joint is stressed beyond capacity.

Bengt goes on to outline eight design steps to next be undertaken, the most important one
being the one least applied-test for critical applications! I would argue that all joints using
socket cap screw products are critical due to the nature of the fastener chosen, except
possibly those where the head style is chosen for appearance.

In the opportunities I have had for field failure analysis of highly stressed bolted joints,
two of Blendulf's Five Basic Rules for Bolted loint Design seem to be overlooked the
most: Rule 3, which states that "dynamic/alternating loads must be lower that the fatigue
limit for the fastener." Possibly this results from too much focus being placed on static
tensile strength in the designer's or builder's mind by fastener salespeople who,
themselves, are unaware of the perils of dynamic loading. Many of today's lighter designs
in tooling and machinery do not allow sufficient depth to develop necessary clamp force.
Designers concern themselves with enough thread engagement to prevent thread stripping
while overlooking the needed length to prevent unloading due to dynamic external loads.

In joints where failure due to fatigue is likely, even further steps should be taken: care in
the manufacture of a cap screw's underhead fillet area, rolled threads free of
discontinuities and possibly rolled after heat treatment, and a tensioning method which is
reliable and accurate.
Rule five is the other culprit. "Tightening factors (accuracy levels) MUST be realistic
both for assembly and for maintenance." It has taken more than the past thirteen years for
the automotive tooling community to come to terms with this principal in theory and
virtually all of the failures they encountered in that period result from a breakdown in
adhering to carefully crafted tightening guidelines. Use of impact wrenches for screw
rundown and final tightening, failure to comply with audit procedures, K factors out of
specified range, fastener reuse, and tightening with a "cheater bar" are some of the
contributors to fastener and joint failure.

A word or two about "K" factor is appropriate here, in relying upon published torque
charts. Look carefully at reference torque charts for the test joint parameters. They should
be mentioned with the data. Is the joint steel to steel using a certain grade fastener and
flat washer? Are the fasteners used coated, plated, or "as received," which usually means
lightly oiled? In maintaining bolted joints, service personnel often apply greases, heavy
oil, or an anti-seize product. Sometimes getting the information on those added products
is difficult, but very necessary.

More than a few end users even persist in dealing with socket cap screw product as a
"grade 8" fastener. I actually heard it again today! Of course that is not so-it is 20%
stronger, unless it's metric, then it can be of higher or lower strength. Metric confusion
still haunts us, even into this new millennium. How about quoting on that 1/2-13 x 70
mm long cap screw?

During the past 20 years I have been fortunate to have been exposed to many hours of
technical fastener seminars and presentations by some of the finest people in our industry.
I hope for another 20 years of the same. In gaining an understanding about bolted joints
and learning how to share it with the distribution and end user community, I am proof
that it is not rocket science. But it is a subject to be learned by all who come into contact
with the "pieces," be they the nuts, the bolts, the washers, the lubricants and thread
locking additives, the holemaking tools, or tightening devices.