Bolts, Screws, and Fasteners

Gregg Larson
ME 3180
October 6, 2014

HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

http://www.materials.drexel.edu/programs/Sensors/Links/
On July 17, 1981, two
suspended walkways
collapsed in the Hyatt
Regency Hotel in Kansas
City, Missouri during a
dance festival
The collapse left 114 dead
and in excess of 200
injured.
In addition, millions and
millions of dollars in costs
related to lawsuits, etc.,
resulted from the collapse,
and hundreds of lives were
adversely affected.

HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

Original Design
Walkways suspended long rods.
Rod through the top walkway down
to bottom walkway.
On each rod, under each walkway,
nut used to carry the load of walkway.

Issues
Running nuts 30 feet up the rods, the
entire length of the rods had to be
threaded.
Threading 30 feet of rod difficult and
costly.
The fabricator decided to modify
the original design to make it easier
and less costly to construct.

Figure 1

THE TWO SUPPORT MODELS

Diagram 1

Walkway-design: Nut

1 supports only the

walkway above it. The weight of the second
walkway is supported through the rod.
Walkway-built: Nut 1 not only holds the
weight of the walkway above it, but also the
hanging weight of the second walkway and the
rods used to support it.
6

Deformed 4th Floor Beam

HYATT REGENCY WALKWAY COLLAPSE

Negligence Per se
Failure of either design to meet Kansas City Building
Codes
KCBC dictated minimum value for mean ultimate load
capacity for beams should be 151 kN.
The mean ultimate capacity of the single-rod connection
approximately 91 kN, depending on the weld area
Capacity actually available using the original connection
60% of that expected of a connection designed in
accordance with AISC Specifications
Modified and as-built design held 30% of the minimum
weight by KCBC
By mere calculations, the first design was obviously the
more effective one even though it was faulty.
How many legal theories of liability apply?

Power Screws

Mechanics of Power Screws

Power screw
Used to change angular
motion into linear motion
Usually transmits power
Examples include vises,
presses, jacks, lead screw on
lathe

Shigleys Mechanical
Engineering Design

Fig. 84

Square and Acme Threads

Square and Acme threads are used when the threads are
intended to transmit power
Fig. 83

Table 8-3 Preferred Pitches for Acme Threads

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Engineering Design

Cutaway View of Bislide (www.velmex.com)

Velmex Positioners
(www.velmex.com)

Lead Screws International

(www.lsitvc.com)

2-axis and 3-axis Configurations of X-slides (www.velmex.com)

Thread Standards and Definitions

Pitch distance between
adjacent threads.
Reciprocal of threads per
inch
Major diameter largest
diameter of thread
Minor diameter
smallest diameter of
thread
Pitch diameter
theoretical diameter
between major and minor
diameters, where tooth
and gap are same width
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Engineering Design

Fig. 81

Diameters and Areas for Unified Screw Threads

Table 82

Bolt Specification
Material grade

Threads per inch

Thread series

-20 x in UNC-2 Grade 5 Hex head bolt

Nominal diameter

length

Class fit

Head type

Pitch

Metric

M12 x 1.75 ISO 4.8 Hex head bolt

Nominal diameter
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Design

Material class

Bolt Materials
Proof load is the maximum load that
a bolt can withstand without
acquiring a permanent set
Proof strength is the quotient of
proof load and tensile-stress area
Corresponds to proportional limit
Slightly lower than yield strength
Typically used for static strength
of bolt
Good bolt materials have stressstrain curve that continues to rise to
fracture
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Engineering Design

Fig. 818

SAE Specifications for Steel Bolts

Table 89

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Mechanical
Engineering
Design

Hexagon-Head Bolt
Hexagon-head bolts are one of the most common for
engineering applications
Standard dimensions are included in Table A29
W is usually about 1.5 times nominal diameter
Bolt length L is measured from below the head

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Engineering Design

Head Type of Bolts

Hexagon head bolt
Usually uses nut
Heavy duty

Hexagon head cap screw

Thinner head
Often used as screw (in threaded
hole, without nut)

Fig. 89

Socket head cap screw

Usually more precision
applications
Access from the top

Machine screws
Usually smaller sizes
Slot or philips head common
Threaded all the way

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Engineering Design

Fig. 810

Machine Screws

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Design

Fig. 811

Threaded Lengths
English

Metric

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Design

Nuts
See Appendix A31 for typical specifications
First three threads of nut carry majority of load
Localized plastic strain in the first thread is likely, so nuts should
not be re-used in critical applications.

End view

Washer-faced,
regular

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Chamfered both Washer-faced,

sides, regular
jam nut
Fig. 812

Chamfered
both sides,
jam nut

Tension Loaded Bolted Joint

Grip length l includes
everything being
compressed by bolt
preload, including
washers
Washer under head
prevents burrs at the
hole from gouging into
the fillet under the bolt
head
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Engineering Design

Fig. 813