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UKAS accredited
Nadcap accredited
100+ years’ experience
98% customer satisfaction

Bolt Testing

A bolt is a type of mechanical fastener that is used to secure two or more pieces of material together. A bolt consists of a head and cylindrical, male threaded body. A bolt is also paired with a female nut to secure the fastener in place. Additionally, washers can be used to prevent loosening and crushing of the fastener in situ.

Together, bolts and nuts are the most commonly used fasteners as they can be easily assembled or disassembled. Bolt testing is crucial to ensuring the safety and reliability of the machines and equipment they are used in. The process makes sure bolts can withstand their intended load and perform under different stresses and conditions. Identifying potential failures also means reducing costs by experiencing fewer failures, downtime and maintenance. Learn more about our bolt testing services below.

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What materials are bolts made out of?

It is vital that bolts are produced from the right material. If an inappropriate metal or material is used, the bolt may experience fatigue, corrosion, or failure during service.

Most commonly, bolts are made from steel alloys, such as stainless steel, low carbon steel, and chromium as this offers the best protection against corrosion and corrosive environments. To further enhance the performance of steel, bolts may undergo additional treatments such as plating, coating, or galvanization.

Titanium, Cupro Nickel and Aluminium, Inconel are also used to manufacture bolts depending on their end use.

Bolts are commonly made from stainless 18-8 steel, containing 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Another type of steel that is more resistant to corrosion is stainless 316, and is often used in salt water and chlorine environments. Bolts may also be made from stainless 410 material, which is a more durable steel but less resistant to corrosion.

Alloy steel is a high-strength material that can be heat treated to produce durable bolts.

Testing Raw Materials, Batch Products, and Finished Bolts

If you are involved in any way with the manufacturing, distribution or use of bolts, we have an extensive range of mechanical, metallurgical and chemical analysis services for any stage of your product development.

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Raw Materials

Rotech can perform a variety of tests on raw metals and materials for sheet metal, alloys and stainless steel to ensure that the material composition and grade is suitable for manufacturing bolts. We can also conduct hardness testing, tensile testing and impact testing on raw materials to help determine the strength and durability of the material for production processes.

Chemical analysis is a crucial stage of manufacturing bolts. If the starting material bears the right chemistry, there is a strong possibility that downstream processing will result in compliance with specifications, and satisfactory strength, ductility, impact and corrosion resistance. Chemical analysis is also of fundamental importance for semi-finished bolts.

Batch Products and machined samples

Our experienced team offer batch testing on bolt samples to assess the quality of the manufactured product, to ensure that they are safe and compliant for their intended use. We can also perform metallurgical tests on batch samples to ensure that they are free from defects and flaws.

Full-sized Finished Bolts

If your bolts have been manufactured and coated or plated, and are now ready to be installed in real-service conditions, we can carry out a range of tests to ensure that the coating, plating or finishing process are suitable for your product before entering the market.

Machined Samples

Our preparation and machine workshop can also machine a routine test sample from a larger bolt for tensile and impact testing, along with metallurgical investigations.  For example as required within ISO 898-1

 

 

 

Our Testing Services

We can perform an extensive range of mechanical, metallurgical and chemical analysis testing services on bolts from sizes M2 up to M27.

Mechanical Testing

  • Proof load testing on bolt sizes M2 up to M27

  • Wedge testing to determine head soundness

  • Tensile testing on full-sized, machined samples
  • Proof and yield stress
  • Torque testing*

Metallurgical Testing

  • Decarburisation/Carburisation

  • Microhardness testing (surface and core)

  • Microhardness testing to determine phase hardness (e.g. martensite, ferrite, bainite, etc.)
  • Phase distribution
  • Microstructural assessments including banding and segregation
  • Longitudinal sectioning and macro etching

Metallurgical Failure Investigations

  • SEM/EDX analysis of failed samples or materials

  • Hydrogen embrittlement to determine hydrogen induced cracking

Chemical Analysis

  • ICP/OES Analysis

  • Spark OES Analysis

Why Use a UKAS Lab for Bolt Testing?

It is imperative that fasteners and raw materials for producing fasteners are routinely tested to ensure that they are suitable to be used in their intended environment. Sadly the news is littered with stories about failed bolts, from failing bolts during construction of a New York bridge, engine failures on ferries caused by untorqued bolts, and loose bolts resulting in automotive product recalls.

Choosing a UKAS accredited testing laboratory for your bolt testing means that our processes and testing procedures are of the highest quality, giving you confidence in your products, and reassurance that they are fit to be used in real-service conditions.

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Bolts that we test:

  • Anchor bolts
  • Blind bolts
  • Carriage bolts
  • Double end bolts (also called Tap End Studs)
  • Eye Bolts
  • Flange bolts
  • Hanger bolt
  • Hex bolts
  • J bolt
  • Lag bolt
  • Machine bolts and machine screws
  • Penta-head bolts
  • Round head bolts
  • Rock bolt
  • Shoulder bolts
  • Socket head bolts
  • Square head bolts
  • T-head bolts
  • U-bolts

 

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You can speak to us now on +44 (0)121 514 0602

Our Contact Details
UKAS accredited
Nadcap accredited
100+ years’ experience
98% customer satisfaction

Accreditations

UKAS

No. 0366 Our accreditation is limited to those activities described on our UKAS schedule of accreditation found here

ISOQAR Registered - UKAS Management Systems

We are Nadcap accredited to Aerospace Quality System (AC7004) and Chemical Processing (AC7108).