Fastening and Joining Monthly eNewsletter

Blind rivets, or breakstems, provide vibration-proof fastening for a wide variety of materials. But engineers should know the basics before specifying them for applications...

It can be difficult to properly fasten bolts larger than 1 in. in diameter because strength increases with the square of the diameter while the torque needed to attach them increases with the third power. So these large bolts cannot be torqued with hand tools. But torquing them with slugging...

People outside of the military generally had not had the opportunity to shoot tracer bullets until engineers at Hallam Inc., Hunstville, Texas, developed Glow Ammo. It consists of...

Industries such as shipbuilding, aerospace, defense, offshore energy, automotive, and nuclear energy rely heavily on welding. For example, a single automobile can contain 5,000 to...

Fasteners are always expected to exert some muscle. One fastener component that may seem too delicate to be included in a discussion of strength is the eyelet...

The Weld Design app for Android phones lets users calculate whether a weld is strong enough. The app lists welding symbols as well as includes information on stick...

Advanced seal materials and designs meet the challenge of sealing pressurized hydraulic fluid in while letting rods move in and out. But to ensure continuous, high-quality operation, hydraulics manufacturers...

Engineers must frequently calculate the bolt preload torque needed to securely hold parts together without overstressing joints. They mainly rely on torque equations and torque tables...

Automotive engineers continue to look for ways to make vehicles lighter, cut fuel consumption and associated emissions, and improve performance and handling. For example, it's estimated that...

Although a structure might be relatively simple, engineers should still consider its weight during design. A simple tripod structure supporting a 1,500-lb light fixture had unusually long dimensions because...

The "Peanut Wrench" set from Jack Nguyen includes box-end wrench fittings (which work like open-end crowfoot wrenches) that can be used as-is (like a thumbwheel wrench or socket) or mated with...

Specifying internal screw threads isn’t the most thrilling task for engineers. Once the hole diameter and thread type are set, there’s little need to consider the strip-out strength of the internal threads, right? Wrong.

In the current economy, rapid-prototyping techniques are gaining new respect as a way of fabricating parts that do double duty: serving as functional prototypes for trying out concepts and, in some cases, being...

Understanding the structural behavior of bolted joints is essential for sound design. For instance, forces that overcome preload can cause bolted assemblies to leak or fail. The article...

Electric-motor manufacturers seeking Underwriters Laboratories’ (UL) “explosionproof” certification face a Dec. 11, 2010 deadline that could change the way they design and build their products. On...

Advances in epoxy, acrylic, and urethane liquid adhesives and flexible, thin adhesives let designers meet structural integrity and strength requirements without mechanical fasteners or welding. These...

One type of fastening component can boost equipment lifetime and reliability while cutting manufacturing, service, and warranty costs. Sound like a pipe dream? For designs that have threaded joints, mating flanges, or close...

Products ranging from car engines to heart valves need to be tested for leaks and strength using pressurized air or some other gas. TwistMate connectors from...

Polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and other thermoplastic olefins attract designers because of their low cost and excellent physical properties...

While mechanical fasteners are almost always the first choice when assemblies need maximum torque resistance and load-holding capabilities, pressure-sensitive adhesives...

The Viper MBC robot from Visumatic Industrial Products, Lexington, Ky., delivers and installs a wide range of fasteners, including screws, nuts, bolts, pins, clips, brass rings, and...

When engineers select couplings with the capabilities, environmental resistance, and service parameters their applications demand and install...

Sound designs of bolted joints rely on a good grasp of their structural behavior, and structural properties of preloaded bolted joints — including the bolt load-sharing ratio, separation...

Fasteners are usually the smallest, least-expensive components within a machine, but OEMs depend on them to hold entire assemblies together — often for years or...

Manufacturers are always looking for faster and better ways to fabricate machines and subcomponents while reducing weight, noise, vibration, and costs. Pressure-sensitive...

Assemblies made of plastic or other soft materials often rely on steel inserts to secure fasteners and reinforce joints. Though stainless steel may be appropriate...

Self-retaining pins are economical and durable fasteners for a host ofapplications. Here's a quick look at a variety...

Adhesives have advanced to the point where they can compete with traditional fastening technologies. For example, used properly...

In the 1980s, defective fasteners on Army tanks, Navy ships, and interstate highway bridges caught the attention of Congress. A study of the U.S. fastener industry by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations documented...

The British Steam Team's takes its car, Inspiration, out during Speed Week August 8 to 14 at the Bonneville Salt Flats seeking to break 200 mph after six years of development. They may...

Threaded-fastener technology has been around since screws were used at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the 7th century B.C. And many of the nuts and bolts used...

If you’re trying to isolate sensitive equipment from vibrations, air tables and other pneumatic systems come to mind. The low-frequency vibration isolation...

For more than 60 years, engineers specifying seals and customers using them have accepted the arbitrary rule that the maximum amount O-rings will swell in most applications is a 25% change...

Rivets have been used to put things together since the Bronze Age, but it usually took a worker on each side of the join to set them.

Basics of Design Engineering: Joining Metals & Ceramics
Many applications require joining metals to ceramics, such as sealing electrodes to glass enclosures for light bulbs.

It can be difficult to specify drive components that transform power from a motor into a form that is useful for the load.

Sometimes technologies that appear peripheral to a task can make the difference between a reliable design and one that fails before its time. Today we'll look at new models for vibration isolation and sensors to reduce waste in automated lines.