Forensic Engineering Overview - Threaded Fastener Joint Reliability And Failure

Abstract

An Overview Of The Guidelines And Criteria For The Design And Manufacture Of Reliable And Safe Threaded Joints Is Presented. The Variables In Threaded Fastener Joint Design And The Causes For Potential Failure Are Discussed. Each Year The Fastener Industry Supplies Enough Fasteners To Assemble More Than Fifteen Million Motor Vehicles; Fifteen Million Refrigerators, Washers And Air Conditioners, As Well As The Nearly Five Million Lawnmowers Produced In The United States. Additionally, Aircraft, Engines, Turbines, Buildings And Bridges Are Assembled With Mechanical Fasteners. Products Requiring Threaded Fasteners Include Almost Every Item Manufactured And Assembled. Although Fastener Applications Vary, The Same Criteria And Guidelines For Properly Securing A Reliable And Safe Threaded Joint Apply Across The Entire Product Spectrum. Occasionally These Guidelines Are Overlooked Or Violated, Resulting First In Joint And Then Product Failure. This Paper Addresses Threaded Fastener Joint Failures.