- Joined
- Sep 25, 2014
- Messages
- 1,111
What if I do it reallllllly careful? :lmao::lmao:
You are probably very correct, but it's all i have for now to destroy.
My wife's brother is supposed to bring me some alu and mild steel but he has ...uhhh.. different timelines or universal dimensions even than most people.
I have no idea on the grade of these big bolts...all I know they put in a bunch to connect tower sections. remember..I just lift the tower section and never touch the bolts))
Would there be a grade indication on bolts and if so, how to identify?
All I know they test the 'pulling' strength on them with like 4600 psi pressure in a hydraulic device. That's quite a bit.
Oh, and they are grey.:thinking: :lmao::lmao::lmao:
John
Perhaps the grey is galvanize (zinc) coating. Common in outdoor applications and structural steel work.
I also get plenty of surplus bolting (actually studs - the term "bolting" is sort of generic) from work - up to about 3". There are a few different grades, the most common is "B7" - similar to CrMo 4140. The bolting folks typically focus on the yield strength as they develop the bolting plan, then load the bolts to a certain percentage of that yield strength. You can look up the relationship between YS and hardness (many charts on the internet).
It sounds like the bolting crew is using a hydraulic tensioning arrangment. This is common in critical service bolting. It provides a more uniform and predictable loading of the joint (torquing is influenced by so many factors that the actual tensile load on the bolt can vary significantly).
Anyway, enough said. Go ahead and cut up those bolts. Of course it is an interrupted cut, you should still get a reasonable life out of carbide (some of the grades available now are very tough) - I find it works fine.
Enjoy.