Fastener

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Typical fasteners (US quarter shown for scale)

A fastener (US English) or fastening (UK English)[1] is a hardware device that

mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. In general, fasteners are
used to create non-permanent joints; that is, joints that can be removed or
dismantled without damaging the joining components. [2] Welding is an example of
creating permanent joints. Steel fasteners are usually made of stainless
steel, carbon steel, or alloy steel.
Other alternative methods of joining materials
include: crimping, welding, soldering, brazing, taping, gluing, cement, or the use of
other adhesives. Force may also be used, such as
with magnets, vacuum (like suction cups), or even friction (like sticky pads). Some
types of woodworking joints make use of separate internal reinforcements, such
as dowels or biscuits, which in a sense can be considered fasteners within the
scope of the joint system, although on their own they are not general purpose
fasteners.
Furniture supplied in flat-pack form often uses cam dowels locked by cam locks,
also known as conformat fasteners. Fasteners can also be used to close a
container such as a bag, a box, or an envelope; or they may involve keeping
together the sides of an opening of flexible material, attaching a lid to a container,
etc. There are also special-purpose closing devices, e.g. a bread clip.
 Items like a rope, string, wire, cable, chain, or plastic wrap may be used to
mechanically join objects; but are not generally categorized as fasteners because
they have additional common uses. Likewise, hinges and springs may join objects
together, but are ordinarily not considered fasteners because their primary purpose
is to allow articulation rather than rigid affixment.

Contents

 1Industry
 2Materials
 3Applications
 4Types
 5Standards & traceability
o 5.1ASME B18 standards on certain fasteners
o 5.2For military hardware
 6See also
 7References
 8Further reading

Industry[edit]
In 2005, it was estimated that the United States fastener industry runs 350
manufacturing plants and employs 40,000 workers. The industry is strongly tied to
the production of automobiles, aircraft, appliances, agricultural machinery,
commercial construction, and infrastructure. More than 200 billion fasteners are
used per year in the U.S., 26 billion of these by the automotive industry. The
largest distributor of fasteners in North America is the Fastenal Company. [3]

Materials[edit]
There are three major steel fasteners used in industries: stainless steel, carbon
steel, and alloy steel. The major grade used in stainless steel fasteners: 200
series, 300 series, and 400 series. Titanium, aluminium, and various alloys are
also common materials of construction for metal fasteners. In many cases, special
coatings or plating may be applied to metal fasteners to improve their performance
characteristics by, for example, enhancing corrosion resistance. Common
coatings/platings include zinc, chrome, and hot dip galvanizing. [4]

Applications[edit]
When selecting a fastener[5] for industrial applications, it is important to consider a
variety of factors. The threading, the applied load on the fastener, the stiffness of
the fastener, and the number of fasteners needed should all be taken into account.
When choosing a fastener for a given application, it is important to know the
specifics of that application to help select the proper material for the intended use.
Factors that should be considered include:
 Accessibility
 Environment, including temperature, water exposure, and potentially
corrosive elements
 Installation process
 Materials to be joined
 Reusability
 Weight restrictions[6]

Types[edit]

Structural bolt DIN 6914 with DIN 6916 washer and UNI 5587 nut

A threaded fastener has internal or external screw threads.[7] The most common

types are the screw, nut and bolt, possibly involving washers. Other more
specialized types of threaded fasteners include captive threaded
fasteners, stud, threaded inserts, and threaded rods.
Other types of fastener include:

 anchor bolt
 batten
 bolt (fastener)
o screw
 bolt snap
 brass fastener
 buckle
 button
 cable tie
 cam
 captive fastener
 clamp (or cramp)
o hose clamp
 clasps
o lobster clasp
 cleco
 clips
o circlip
o hairpin clip
o paper clip
o terry clip
 clutch
 drawing pin (thumbtack)
 flange
 frog
 grommet
 hook-and-eye closure
 hook and loop fastener
o Velcro
 latch
 nail
 pegs
o clothespin
o tent peg
 PEM nut
 pins
o circle cotter
o clevis fastener
o cotter
o dowel
o linchpin
o R-clip
o split pin
o spring pin
o tapered pin
 retaining rings
o circlip
 o e-ring
 rivet
o solid/round head rivets
o semi-tubular rivets
o blind (pop) rivet
 rock bolt
 rubber band (or bands of other materials)
 screw anchor
 snap fastener
 snap-fit
 staple
 stitches
 strap
 tie
 toggle bolt
 tolerance rings
 treasury tag
 twist tie
 wedge anchor
 zipper

Standards & traceability[edit]

ASME B18 standards on certain fasteners[edit]
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) publishes several
Standards on fasteners. Some are:

 B18.3 Socket Cap, Shoulder, Set Screws, and Hex Keys (Inch Series)
 B18.6.1 Wood Screws (Inch Series)
 B18.6.2 Slotted Head Cap Screws, Square Head Set Screws, And Slotted
Headless Set Screws (Inch Series)
 B18.6.3 Machine Screws, Tapping Screws, and Metallic Drive Screws (Inch
Series)
 B18.18 Quality Assurance For Fasteners
 B18.24 Part Identifying Number (PIN) Code System Standard for B18
Fastener Products
For military hardware[edit]
American screws, bolts, and nuts were historically not fully interchangeable with
their British counterparts, and therefore would not fit British equipment properly.
This, in part, helped lead to the development of numerous United States Military
Standards and specifications for the manufacturing of essentially any piece of
equipment that is used for military or defense purposes, including fasteners. World
War II was a significant factor in this change.
A key component of most military standards is traceability. Put simply, hardware
manufacturers must be able to trace their materials to their source, and provide
traceability for their parts going into the supply chain, usually via bar codes or
similar methods. This traceability is intended to help ensure that the right parts are
used and that quality standards are met in each step of the manufacturing process;
additionally, substandard parts can traced back to their source. [8]

See also[edit]
 Safety wire
 Taiwan International Fastener Show

References[edit]
1. ^ "FASTENING | meaning in the Cambridge English
Dictionary".  dictionary.cambridge.org.
2. ^ Stonecypher, Lamar. "Fasteners - Their Needs and Types". Bright Hub Engineering.
3. ^ The North American fastener industry - The industry today, archived from  the
original  on 2008-06-13, retrieved  2009-02-08.
4. ^ "Materials & Coatings".  Fastener Solutions. Archived from the original  on 2017-08-
16. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
5. ^ "Top 10 Best Fasteners Manufacturers in India | Suppliers, Exporters".  Go Search
Directory. 2021-06-30. Retrieved  2021-07-02.
6. ^ "Material Finishes". AALL American Fasteners.
7. ^ Groover, Mikell P. (2010),  Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials,
Processes, and Systems  (4th ed.), John Wiley and Sons, p.  767, ISBN 978-0-470-46700-8.
8. ^ "Why Traceability Matters".  B & B Electro-Mechanical. Archived from the original  on
2019-04-14. Retrieved  2017-01-16.

Further reading[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Fasteners.

 Parmley, Robert (1996). Standard Handbook of Fastening and

Joining (3 ed.). McGraw Hill. ISBN 9780070485891.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastener