Rivets, HS-bolts, and

Bolting Specifications
CE671 Lecture 4

Discussion
Rivets
A307 Bolts
A325 HS-Bolts
A490 HS-Bolts

Rivets
One of the oldest forms of fastener in
structural joints
Common up until 1960s
Used in buildings and bridges
Used in wrought iron and steel

Replaced by HS bolts and welding

Required 4-5 skilled laborers
Fireman
Toss man
Catcher
Riveter (2)

Many Types of Rivets

Rivet Installation
Installed though multiple plates
Generally installed as hot rivets
About 1,800 F

Components drawn together with clamps

or bolts
Rivet inserted into hole and the driven
Pressed or hammered

Head is formed by driving process

As the rivet cools, it shrinks thereby
introducing precompression into the joint

Rivet Crew

HOT

Rivet Installation
When rivet is driven it expands laterally into
the hole
Expansion fills the hole and reduced
likelihood of slip
May only occur on outer plies

When rivet cools, it will contract longitudinally

and diametrically
Diametric contraction which can increase
clearance some small amount
Longitudinal contraction compresses joint

Riveting

Riveting Close-up

3/4

7/8

Rivet Performance
Precompression depends on:
Joint stiffness
Driving and finishing temperature
Driving pressure.

Hot-driven rivets can develop clamping forces

that approach the yield load of a rivet
Considerable variation in clamping forces is
generally observed Cant retighten
As the grip length is increased, the residual
clamping force tends to increase

Effects of Driving
Driving generally increases the strength
of rivets
For hot-driven rivets
machine driving increased the rivet tensile
strength by about 20%
Pneumatic hammer increases rivet tensile
strength about 10%

Hot working of the material

Variability in Driving
Under driven rivets
Soldiers Cap head rivets
Offset rivets

Rivet Strengths / Types

Three structural rivet steels:
ASTM A502 grade 1, carbon rivet steel for general
purposes
ASTM A502 grade 2, carbon-manganese rivet steel
Suitable for use with high-strength carbon and high-strength
low-alloy structural steels

ASTM A502 grade 3,

Similar to grade 2 but with enhanced corrosion resistance

Rivet steel strength is specified in terms of

hardness requirements
There are no additional material requirements for
strength or hardness in the driven condition

Rivets Material Specifications

Strengths vary with type:
ASTM A502 Grade 1 about 60 ksi
ASTM A502 Grade 2 & 3 about 80 ksi

Variations in driving temperature between

1,800 F and 2,300 F does not affect
strength
May effect surface quality pitting
Too cold, very difficult to drive

A307 Bolts
A307 are low-carbon fasteners
Typically available to 4 inch diameter
Min. specified tensile strength of 60 ksi
May be galvanized without concern
Will develop some pretension force
No specified tightening procedures
Relatively low strength
Hence, cant design as friction connection

A325 HS-Bolts
A325 is a carbon steel bolt
Available in to 1- inch diameters
Can be specified in two types
Used to be three

Head is heavy hex

Head must indicate bolt type

Minimum tensile strength

120 ksi up to 1 inch
105 ksi > 1 inch

Markings
Material Specification

A325

Underline if Type 3 bolt

(weathering steel)

COR

Otherwise, Type 1 standard

(Type 2 discontinued)
Manufacturer
(initials or abbreviation;
hereCordova Bolt)

A325 HS-Bolts
A325 used to be available in three types
Type 1 Medium carbon steel (high temp)
Type 2 Low carbon martensitic steel
Type 3 Corrosion resistant for use with
weathering steels

Type 2 was could only be used for atmospheric

temperature conditions, but was discontinued
since no need for it
If not specified, Type 1 or Type 3 can be
provided by supplier
Usually Type 1 will be specified

A325 HS-Bolts
Can be reused as long as nut can be run up the
threads by hand
Usually 1 or 2 times
If galvanized, reuse is not permitted

Can be hot-dipped or mechanically galvanized

Galvanized bolts and nuts must be thought of as an
assembly
Cant mix types of galvanizing

Galvanizing will affect tightening procedures

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A490 HS-Bolts
A490 is a alloy steel bolt that is heat treated
Available in to 1- inch diameters
Can be specified in two types
Used to be three

Head is heavy hex

Head must indicate bolt type

Minimum tensile strength

150 min ksi all sizes
170 ksi max (No upper limit on A325)

A490 HS-Bolts
A490 used to be available in three types
Type 1 Medium carbon steel (high temp)
Type 2 Low carbon martensitic steel
Type 3 Corrosion resistant for use with
weathering steels

Type 2 was discontinued since no need for it

If not specified, Type 1 or Type 3 can be
provided by supplier
Usually Type 1 will be specified

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A490 HS-Bolts
Galvanizing is prohibited if metallizing or
mechanical coating used
High strength steel is susceptible to hydrogen
embitterment
Usually issue with steels with strengths
over 200 ksi
But considered close enough to 170 ksi
Within about 10% of minimum specified strength

A490 HS-Bolts CAN NOT BE REUSED

Approved Corrosion Protection

for A490
Zn/Al Inorganic Coating, when applied per
ASTM F1136 Grade 3 to ASTM studied
Does not cause delayed cracking by internal
hydrogen embrittlement
Does not accelerate environmental hydrogen
embrittlement by cathodic hydrogen
absorption

Also approved for A325

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A Few Words about Galvanized HS Bolts

Galvanized and Zn/Al Inorganic coated bolts and
nuts must be treated as a fastener assembly
Ensures overtapping of nut accounted for
Nuts and bolts have to be tested together using same
lubricant as in field

Nuts & bolts must be shipped together in the

same shipping container
Nuts & bolts must be galvanized by same
process, cant mix
See RSCS Specs (August 1, 2014)

Why Cant We Reuse

Some HS Bolts?
Pretension involves deformation of the
bolt, primarily in the threads
Black A-325 bolts can tolerate multiple
cycles of elongation
However, A490 and galvanized A325 are
not consistently capable of undergoing
more than one pretensioning cycles

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Multiple Cycles on Black A325

Multiple Cycles on A490

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Connected Plies
Can only apply specifications if:
All plies are steel
There are no compressible layers
i.e., no gaskets

Must only have steel to ensure

precompression can be achieved
Compressible layers will result in loss of
pre-tension

Installation Techniques
Generally four accepted procedures:
Turn-of-the nut
Calibrated wrench
Twist-off-type bolt
Direct-tension-indicator (DTI)

All have been researched and are

acceptable for most applications
All require a minimum preload of 70% of
specified minimum tensile strength

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Minimum Bolt Preload

105
ksi

Turn-of-the Nut
After snugging the joint, the bolt shank and nut is
marked and then a specific amount of rotation is
induced between the nut and the bolt
Generally results in more uniform bolt
pretensions than torque-controlled methods
Based on strain control
Deformation of bolt related to angle of thread

Requires joint is compacted prior to tightening

(All plies in contact)
Current guidance on rotation requirements does
not apply to bolts longer than 12db

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Turn-of-the Nut

Calibrated Wrench
Representative sample of three bolts must be
selected to calibrate a wrench
For each diameter, length, and grade

Tensioned in a Skidmore-Wilhelm on site

Wrench is then set to cut out at that torque
The wrench becomes "calibrated"
Rotation must be limited to a specific value
Calibration is required every day

Actual results of tension in bolts produced by

this method are acknowledged to be highly
variable
Not allowed in Canada

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Calibrated Wrench

SkidmoreWilhelm

Twist-off-type Bolt
Covered by ASTM F1852 (Equiv. A325) or
F2280 (Equiv. A490)
Function by calibrating the torque needed
to twist off a splined extension
manufactured into the bolt shank
Made correctly, the "twist-off" will occur at
a bolt tension above the minimum preload
Can be tightened from one side

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Twist-off-type Bolt
Require special equipment
More expensive than regular
bolts
But less labor

Hard to find in galvanized

Rumored

Direct-tension-indicator (DTI)
Covered by ASTM F959
Can be thought of a load cell
Independent of torque
Issues with oversized holes
Need washer plate

Issues with dry washers

Very consistent pre-tension
Allows for easy inspection

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Direct-tension-indicator (DTI)

Direct-tension-indicator (DTI)

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Use of Hydraulic Wrench

for Large Fasteners

Rotational Capacity Test

Ro-cap
Intended to evaluate:
1. the presence of a lubricant
2. the efficiency of the lubricant
3. the compatibility of fastener assemblies
In other words, verify the fastener assembly
will function properly as a unit

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Rotational Capacity Test

Snug bolt to 10% of min. pretension
Match mark bolt
Tighten to min. pretension
Measure torque at this pretension
Calculate Maximum Permitted Torque

T = 0.25PD
T = Torque
P = Tension in pounds
D = Diameter of bolt in feet (inch/12)

Rotational Capacity Test

Maximum Permitted Torque (ft-lb)

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Rotational Capacity Test

Rotate Nut from Match Mark

Rotational Capacity Test

Record Tension after Nut Rotation
Final tension shall equal or exceed 1.15
times the minimum tension

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Rotational Capacity Test

Examine Bolt for the following:
Thread Shear Failure
Thread Stripping
Torsion Failure

Rotational Capacity Test

Test Failure if:
Exceed maximum allowable torque in
torque/tension comparison
Cannot achieve required rotation
Bolt breaks

Cannot achieve required tension at

rotation
Thread failure
Not being able to turn nut with fingers

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Bolt Specifications
See www.boltcouncil.org
Research Council on Structural Connections
Established January 1947

Provides general standards on bolting,

bolts, installation, and inspection
Current specifications available for free on
website (you should download it)

Also, the most important

book on connections is
available for free from
the RCSC website
2014 Spec. Available

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