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Fasteners

Types of Fasteners Explained!

What are the Various Types of Fasteners and Their Uses?

Fasteners are essential for creating strong joints. They allow dismantling without damaging the joined parts. Some fasteners are permanently joined, while others, like rivet bonds, can be completely dismantled, ensuring the integrity of the joined parts.

Metal fasteners come in two forms: permanent and non-permanent. Permanent fasteners cannot be dismantled, while non-permanent fasteners can be removed and reused.

Common types of fasteners include bolts, screws, nuts, washers, rivets, inserts, retaining rings, and concrete anchors. Bolts have a hex head on one end and are threaded on the other. Common types include carriage bolts, hex head bolts, machine screws, shoulder bolts, and socket cap screws.

Carriage bolts have a domed or countersunk head, while hex head bolts have hexagonal heads and are driven with a wrench. Machine screws, also known as stove bolts or stoves, have flat points and are often driven into tapped holes.

Shoulder bolts, also known as stripper bolts or shoulder screws, have a shoulder between the thread of the screw and the part’s head, acting as dowels or shafts for moving parts.

Socket cap screws, available in button sockets, button flange socket heads, flat sockets, and socket caps, are threaded fasteners with a head diameter 1.5 times or more than that of a screw shank diameter.

Socket set “Grub” screws are fully threaded and have no head, while squarehead bolts have a 4-sided head for easier gripping.

Screws, on the other hand, have a head on one end and a thread on the other and are used to screw into an internally threaded hole. Common types of screws include deck screws, hex lag screws, self-drilling screws, sheet metal screws, wood screws, and flange serrated nuts.

Screws are similar to bolts in that they have a head on one end and a thread on the other. They are used to screw into an internally threaded hole and can be used in various applications.

For example, deck screws are easily installed in wood and composite deck materials, while lag bolts are used for lagging together lumber for frames, machinery, and wood floors.

Self-drilling screws have sheet metal thread with a self-driller cutting point, while sheet metal screws have sharp cutting threads for cutting through sheet metals, plastics, or woods.

Wood screws are partially threaded with large cutting threads and a smooth shank, designed to slide through top pieces of wood and tightly pull all boards together.

Nuts are used in conjunction with a bolt to clamp two or more parts together. Common types of nuts include cap nuts, castle nuts, coupling nuts, flange serrated nuts, hex finish nuts, hex jam nuts, heavy hex nuts, hex machine nuts, and small pattern hex machine nuts.

Some common types of nut include, Keps-K lock nuts, knurled thumb nuts, nylon hex jam nuts, nylon insert lock nuts, preceding torque lock nuts (stover), slotted hex nuts, square nuts, structural heavy hex nuts, T-nuts, breakaway or shear nuts, tri-groove nuts, and wings.

Cap nuts have a domed top to prevent contact with the external thread. Castle nuts are used with cotton pins to prevent loosening, while coupling nuts are threaded fasteners used for joining two male threads.

Flange serrated nuts distribute pressure and create a locking action to prevent loosening. Hex finish nuts are used for fastening to hex cap screws, socket cap screws, or bolts, while hex jam nuts are used when locking in place without clamping to another object.

Heavy hex nuts are heavier, thicker, and larger than normal hex nuts, often used with hex cap screws and carriage bolts. Hex machine nuts are hex-shaped with internal threads and are smaller than hex jam or hex finish nuts.

Keps-K lock nuts have an attached free-spinning lock washer, while knurled thumb nuts have a knurled outside surface that can be tightened by hand.

Slotted hex nuts have a portion cut out for use with a cotter pin to create a locking mechanism. Square nuts have four sides and may be flat or bevelled at the top, making them more resistant to loosening. Structural heavy hex nuts are comparable to finish hex nuts but are designed to be stronger and thicker.

Washers are essential fasteners used between bolts, screws, and nuts to clamp material together, increasing the bearing area of the head and protecting the material underneath from damage.

There are various types of washers, such as backup rivet washers, Belleville conical washers, dock washers, fender washers, extra-thick fender washers, finishing cup washers, NAS washers, and Neoprene EPDM washers.

Other types of washers include structural washers, square washers, flat washers, extra-thick flat washers, military standard flat washers, 900 series flat washers, split-ring lock washers, high collar lock washers, external tooth lock washers, and internal tooth lock washers.

Fender washers are round washers with small inside diameter holes, used to prevent pull-through and provide a greater bearing surface under the fastener.

Extra-thick fender washers are also round washers with a small inside diameter hole but with a higher thickness.

Rivets are permanent fasteners that cannot be re-used when removed. They are commonly used to join metal sheets and plates and are used in some industries and special applications.

Multi-grip rivets are versatile and cost-effective, with common types including pop rivets (open end), closed-end pop rivets (sealed), large flange pop rivets, countersunk pop rivets, colored rivets, multi-grip rivets, structural rivets, and tri-fold rivets.

Backup rivet washers create larger install diameters, providing better hold and support for rivets. Belleville conical washers add extra tension to joint assemblies, while dock washers are heavy-duty washers used in dock building and heavy-duty construction.

Structural rivets are used to create stronger assemblies than normal stainless-steel pop rivets, creating an intense amount of force and requiring a different tool for installation.

Tri-fold rivets, also known as exploding rivets, have three cuts in the hat that cause the hat to fold outward when installed into three distinct wings, offering better strength and holding power than standard pop rivets.

Types of inserts include dowel pins, Helicoil threaded inserts, E-Z Lok threaded components, keystock, threaded rods, and unthreaded rods. Dowel pins are cylindrical with slightly bevelled ends and are used in various applications, such as joint reinforcement, shelf support, furniture build, and hobbyists.

Helicoil threaded inserts are precision-formed screw thread coils wound into a spiral coil, installed into Helicoil tapped holes. E-Z Lok threaded inserts require special drilling and are used for metal applications, while stainless steel and brass types are used for wood and soft material applications.

Keystock is a solid rectangular-shaped solid bar stock often machined into a machine key. Threaded rods are threaded with no head and are used for fastening various items, such as anchor bolts and suspending electrical or plumbing equipment.

Unthreaded rods are round rods used in frameworks, shafts, braces, supports, and axles. Retaining rings are circular metal fasteners used to hold parts together, such as snap rings or circlips.

Common types include bowed-e retaining rings, e-style retaining rings, external shaft retaining rings, and internal housing retaining rings.

These fasteners are cost-effective and efficient for holding components axially, making them commonly used in manufacturing and engineering.

Concrete anchors are types of fasteners used to attach objects to concrete, such as hanging cabinets, securing heavy machining, and fastening concrete buildings together.

These fasteners consist of threaded bolts, an expander sleeve, a washer, and a nut. Common types include acoustic wedge anchors, drop-in anchors, double expansion shield anchors, hammer drive pin anchors, kaptoggle hollow wall anchors, lag shield expansion anchors, machine screw anchors, machinery screws, plastic toggle anchors, sammy screws, sleeve anchors, toggle wing hollow wall anchors, and wedge anchors.

Acoustic wedge anchors are used to secure suspended wire to solid or hollow masonry materials. Drop-in anchors are internally threaded anchors installed overhead and flush with the surface of the concrete.

Double expansion shield anchors are designed for softer material installation or low-quality materials, while hammer drive pin anchors are used for lighter loads.

Kaptoggle hollow wall anchors securely hold to the wall using a machine screw, while lag shield expansion anchors are used to hold lag screws.

Machine screw anchors are installed into masonry materials in a pre-drilled hole, with a coned portion pulled into the sleeve, causing it to deform.

Masonry screws, also known as Tapcons, cut threads into concrete, brick, or block, providing extended corrosion protection from the blue climaseal coating.

Plastic toggle anchors are used in hollow walls or cinder blocks to create a fastening point for sheet metal screws. Sammy screws are used with threaded rods and are commonly employed due to their lower installation costs, flexibility, and ease of use.

FAQs

What are example fasteners?

Numerous types of fasteners, including screws, bolts, nuts, washers, rivets, pins, clips, and anchors, are essential hardware devices used to mechanically join or secure objects.

What is a fastener in automotive?

Fasteners, a generic term for various parts in car components, are practically indispensable in ensuring the smooth functioning of the vehicle.

What are the different types of fasteners?

Different Types of Fasteners
Screws. For many people, when they think of fasteners, screws are the first thing to come to mind.
Nails. Nails have been used since ancient times, and they are still an everyday household item.
Bolts, nuts, and washers. Nuts and bolts are another common type of fastener.
Anchors.
Rivets.

Who uses fasteners?

Workers on construction sites, furniture manufacturing, and furniture makers are essential professionals in the daily operation of these industries.

What is meant by fastener?

Mechanically joining components, a hardware device is used to create non-permanent joints, which can be removed or dismantled without damaging the joining components, ensuring the integrity of the hardware.

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