Bolt Testing Equipment

Bolt testing is the process of making sure that the batch of bolts are providing consistent readings when having load applied to it.

There are tools that will give you an indictor that you over torqued the nut/bolt in the process. Other indications might include the deforming of the piece of equipment you are working on, damage to the gasket or you might notice that there is no clamp load even when you apply more torque. This is an indication that the bolt has lost it’s elasticity from being overstretched/torqued and now must be replaced.

You can check bolt load by applying pressure to the bolt and making sure there is no movement between the nut and bolt at this pressure. Other ways would required self indicating bolts that provide pressure readings or have built in sensors to notify the proper load is still applied.

There are many different methods for testing bolt quality and strenghth from using devices to having “smart” bolts. Alltorc offers the Calibore which is a hydraulic load cell that can measure the applied pressure in KIPS to a bolt. You must first know your bolt dimensions so you can select the proper plate, bushing and possible spacers to effectivley test the bolt. Once this is determined you will install the bolt into a Calibore along with the pre-selected bushing, plate, washer and nut. Engineering will provide the acceptable predetermine load, once you have this value the user will beging to apply torque or tensions to the bolt until the proper load is achieved. If the bolts from a certain batch show the same results, often this determines that they are safe and approved for use.