News
Applied Bolting finds kind words in Modern Steel Construction
Scott Melnick, AISC VP, mentions Applied Bolting's training videos in his MSC's Editor's Note. With us recently passing 10,000 YouTube views (not including the thumb drive, DVDs and views at our website), Scott's mention and ENR covering us in 2011, it seems our Squirter® DTI and Field Bolting Videos are a huge success. These videos were created to provide jobsite assistance anytime anywhere somebody needs a little more guidance. We even put a QR Code on each and every keg of DTIs that one can scan with a smart phone to load the videos! We are just trying to make bolting easy and we might be succeeding.
Click here to read the entire article online.
Videos a Hit!
Applied Bolting is excited to announce that our total views on YouTube have broken 10,000 hits! While we lack the billion views of teen idol Justin Bieber or some dancing cat, none of them cover structural bolting. We hope these videos are improving jobsite bolting constructability around the world, and people have a better appreciation for bolt tension, storage, lubrication, and education.
If you have any ideas for a field bolting clinics or would like a jobsite visit, please contact us.
Modern Steel Construction December
Applied Bolting is proud to say again we find mention in AISC's December issue of Modern Steel Construction magazine for AASHTO's inclusion of Self-Indicating (Squirter) DTIs in their LRFD Bridge Construction Specification.
Click here to read the entire article online.
Irene Hammers Vermont
To all our fellow Vermonters-
Our hearts and thoughts go out to all of you struggling with this unprecedented damage due to the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. The destruction seems to cover most of the state, from Waterbury to Brattleboro. I have called Vermont home since 1976 and have never seen anything like this. We have always been afforded protection from Mother Nature; we don't know what earthquakes, heat waves, tornados, and hurricanes are. We get the occasional Nor'easter that soaks us or leaves us delightfully buried in snow, but the amount of rain we have received in less than 20 hours, has turned our beautiful streams and brooks, normally good for fishing and swimming, into destructive forces unimaginable to us.
We wish all of those who have suffered loss the best in Vermont Yankee spirit and ingenuity in recovering and moving forward.
To all of our customers and concerned friends, we have dodged Mother Nature this time. Our power is on and the phones work. I don't know why we are so fortunate, but are appreciative. We do have a few coworkers who are landlocked by flooding that has eradicated roads and bridges. We look forward to having them back in the office in a few days. Thanks to all the people who have reached out to us.
Squirter® DTIs - AASHTO Approved
At AASHTO's annual Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures (SCOBS) meeting held in Norfolk, VA, a ballot was passed that specifically mentions and includes Self-Indicating DTIs (Squirter® DTI's) as an approved option for indicating when at least the minimum required clamp load has been achieved in structural bolts on steel bridges.
Applied Bolting's DTI's and Squirter® DTIs are made in accordance with and certified to ASTM F 959 and ASME B 18.2.6. As always, both our Standard DTIs and Squirter® DTI's can be used in accordance with the RCSC and AASHTO specifications. However, Self-Indicating DTI's will now have specific mention in the LRFD Bridge Construction Specification making it easier for DOTs, engineers, and construction personnel to specify, install and inspect Squirter® DTIs.
Squirter® DTIs have been proven in the field with North America's longest cable-stayed bridge, John James Audubon Bridge, and during a Florida DOT field study comparing Turn-of-Nut to Squirter® DTIs. The result was impressive. After recouping the initial cost of the Squirter® DTIs, they saved a $1 a bolt on installation and inspection costs, with a less than 1% rejection rate! Read the report here.
We look forward to the 2011 Interim Specification being issued.
Ironworker T Design Competition
Design the next "DRIVE IT TILL IT SQUIRTS" T-shirt and win gift certificates for tools and gear. Simply upload your design to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Applied-Bolting-Technology/163999757000886 or e-mail them to . The winner will have his/her design displayed on the back of our t-shirts and distributed on jobsites all over the country. Get your design into us before February 2012, we can't wait to see what gets submitted.
Good Luck!
Applied Bolting's Chris Curven in Modern Steel Construction
Applied Bolting is pleased to announce that Modern Steel Construction (MSC), AISC's trade magazine, has published an article about constructability issues involving galvanized structural bolt assemblies. The article is based on the vast experience of Chris Curven, V.P., Field Bolting Specialist. It offers up hands-on experience and practical knowledge that can improve bolting on your site, providing sound information for engineers, bolt installers and inspectors.
Click here to download the article in PDF format.
Click here to read the entire article online.
Applied Bolting featured in ENR magazine
Burst Of Color For Bolted Connections Comes With Video Instructions At The
Jobsite | ENR: Engineering News Record | McGraw-Hill Construction By Jeff Rubenstone
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| You can find the full article in the May 16th Issue, Page 104, Products in Practice |
There is nothing new about direct tension indicators (DTI), one of the methods recognized by the American Institute of Steel Construction for judging structural-steel bolt connections as well as turn-of-nut calibrated wrenches and twist-off bolts.
Depressions on the DTI washer flatten when sufficient tension is reached on a bolt, and can be checked with a small feeler gauge. But eight years ago, Applied Bolting, Bellows Falls, Vt., added that telltale glimpse of orange...
Read Full article at ENR.com
Applied Bolting in the Media
Applied Bolting is excited to announce we have landed in the May issue of Modern Steel Construction and on Modernsteel.com. Modernsteel.com is AISC's online version of their trade publication Modern Steel Construction (MSC). Posted March 1st on Modernsteel.com, in the "Steel in the News" section, and on page 16 of the May print issue, they mention our DTI and Squirter® DTI training videos. We'll gladly accept a nod of the hat from Tasha O'Berski. To see such simple recognition from them means a great to deal us and the effort it took to produce these videos. We hope they are an asset to steel construction community.
Click here to see the article.
Click here to read the issue.
It's Official: ASME B18.2.6-2010 Recognizes Squirter® DTIs
Many of the best engineers, fabricators and inspectors around the world have been using Squirter® DTIs with confidence for years. That's why tens of millions of Squirter® DTI's have been sold, revolutionizing the bolt-up process on power plants and other structural steel projects, and making bolt installation and inspection easy and accurate.
However, occasionally people question whether Squirters conform to ASTM standards. To put this question to bed once and for all, ASME standard B18.2.6-2010 Fasteners for Use in Structural Applications now recognizes silicone emitting type indicator washers.
ASME standard B18.2.6-2010 is the standard adopted by ASTM F959. Sections 5.1 and 5.3, given below, now both specifically mention silicone emitting type indicator washers.
Section 5.1 Direct Tension Indicator Dimensions: All washer-type direct tension indicators, Type 325 and 490, shall conform to the dimensions give in Table 6. Additional characteristics to accommodate the necessary features for silicone emitting type indicator washers are permissible.
Section 5.3 Materials and Properties: Direct tension indicators shall conform to the requirements of ASTM F 959. Silicone emitting type indicator washers shall meet all of the performance requirements of ASTM F 959 and the dimensional requirements in this Standard.
Applied Bolting Direct Tension Indicators (DTIs) have always been manufactured to ASTM F959 standards, and therefore comply with the Special Inspection provisions of ICC and the provisions of the Research Council on Structural Connections 2009 "Specification for Structural Joints Using High-Strength Bolts". All our DTIs are tested and certified in our ISO/IEC 17205 accredited laboratory to meet or exceed ASTM standards. Squirter® DTIs are identical to our non-squirting or classic DTIs. The "squirt" feature was added for the convenience of installers and inspectors.
Applied Bolting Technology expands in slow economy!
Applied Bolting Technology Products is proud to announce another expansion here at our Rockingham, Vermont home site. We are adding 2400 square feet of offices, conference room and increased R&D/lab space. The added R&D space will allow us the room to seek new ways to exceed our customers' expectations as we move forward and continue to grow. The project includes upgrades to our truck loading area, parking and traffic flow around the plant. We are very proud of our accomplishment.We're hosting Steel Day! September 24th, 2010
Guests will tour our facility nestled in the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont where many of our 20 local employees will explain their jobs and the integral role they play in creating Applied Bolting Squirter® DTIs. Read more in our events section.New Bolting Article Added
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Download | Why Bolt Tensioning Matters During Wind Tower Installation |
RCSC Meeting a Success...
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To all those that were able to make it, thanks.
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Applied Bolting AWEA Dallas 2010 Watch Chris Curven and Barnaby Myhrum of Applied Bolting as they show their Squirter DTI and how to tighten bolts for wind tower flanges. Watch Video |
Applied Bolting Technology Achieves Nadcap Accreditation for ISO/IEC 17025
"One of the best Quality Systems I've ever seen." - ISO/IEC auditor
Nadcap recognizes Applied Bolting Technology for its commitment to continual
improvement in materials testing quality.
Applied Bolting Technology announces that its Quality Assurance Laboratory
has received Nadcap reaccreditation for ISO/IEC 17025 on May 28, 2010.
The Applied Bolting QA Lab has been continuously accredited to ISO/IEC 17025
since 1998. This is the seventh time it has achieved accreditation to the
rigorous requirements of this standard.
The Applied Bolting QA Lab received Nadcap accreditation for demonstrating
their ongoing commitment to quality by satisfying customer requirements and
industry specifications.
The fact that our QA lab has consistently been accredited with few
non-conformances is a testimony to the competence of its staff and the
integrity of its structure. This ensures that you can depend upon the
excellence of the products and services you receive from Applied Bolting
Technology Products.
Our quality meets the highest standards and stands up to the toughest
scrutiny.
Read More About Applied Bolting's Quality Assurance
Applied Bolting is excited to host the Research Council on Structural Connections' Annual Meeting in Grafton, VT at The Old Tavern, June 16th, 17th and 18th, 2010. We are pleased to say that attendance is high and all rooms at the Old Tavern are sold out. However, please contact The Old Tavern as they will have other accommodations to recommend.
The Old Tavern at Grafton
92 Main Street
Grafton, VT 05146
800-843-1801
http://oldtavern.com/
The Old Tavern is set in a picturesque Vermont village. There are no Walgreens or Starbucks and limited cell reception except for those with AT&T. However, this is what keeps it so beautiful.
Preliminary Meeting Agenda:
http://www.boltcouncil.org/files/RCSC%202010%20Annual%20Meeting%20Preliminary%20info.pdf
RCSC website:
www.boltcouncil.org
For those coming along but not attending the meeting, we will be offering a tour of award wining Grafton Village Cheese facility. This will be hosted by Applied Bolting and will have complimentary executive shuttle service.
http://www.graftonvillagecheese.com/
Please feel free to contact me for any over "local" information.
Sincerely,
Chris Curven
Chris Curven of Applied Bolting has been invited to present their Squirter® DTI Field Bolting Clinic to the American Society of Civil Engineers, Mohawk Hudson Structural Technical Group, and the Eastern New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design, Inc. This will be another hands-on affair with practical information that can be applied the very next day.
Save the Date: Thursday May 6, 2010
Registration in advance is required
Registration Deadline is Monday May 3rd
Read More
New Bolting Article
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Download | Lessons From the Field: Use the Right Tools! |
Welcome to Applied Bolting's new website. While we get compliments on our
old website on a weekly basis, it was time for an update. The content and
information that many of you have come to rely on to solve your bolting
concerns and to improve your constructability is still here. We have tried
to reorganize the site so it is less busy and easier to navigate. Much of
the content is still the same, but things will be changing over the next 6
months.
Our customers have always helped us shape what we do so please contact us
with any concerns and changes that you think will benefit the structural
bolting community. We'd appreciate hearing what you think and your
criticisms.
Be safe,
Chris Curven
WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition
When: May 23 - 26, 2010
Where: Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, TX
Booth#: 10147
http://2010.windpowerexpo.org/
North American Steel Construction Conference (NASCC)
When: May 12 - 15, 2010
Where: Gaylord Palms Convention Center, Orlando, FL
Booth#: 1131
http://www.aisc.org/form.aspx?ekfrm=18232
Wind Power
Squirter® DTIs used on Leitwind LTW77 Wind Turbine Tower with ViewPOD, constructed for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic games. View a Today Show segment on the Wind Tower:New Bolting Articles
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Download | "A Busy Year For Applied Bolting" |
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Download | "A Simple Quality Assurance System for Wind Turbine Towers" |
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Download | ""Retightening Wind Turbine Flange Splice Bolts Inherent Problems With Installation and Retightening Using Torque Values" " |
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| Christian Nath and Mike Woebbeking of Germanischer Lloyd present certification document to Applied Bolting |
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| Squirter® DTI in Wind Tower Flange |
At Windpower 2009 Conference and Exposition in Chicago, IL, Applied Bolting Technology received certificate number 73638 from Germanischer Lloyd. GL certify that Applied Bolting's M32, M36 and M48 Squirter® Direct Tension Indicators (DTIs) control bolt tension to +/-10% with a confidence factor of 97.7%.
GL states that this is the first visual bolt tension indicating system that doesn't require special tools.
Applied Bolting selected GL for this certification process because of their expertise in bolting wind tower flanges.
Squirter® Direct Tension Indicators are compressible washers, made with special slots stamped into their bottom surface. When the DTI bumps are sufficiently compressed, indicating that the bolt has achieved a certain tension, an orange silicone squirts out from the perimeter of the DTI.
The Squirter® DTI has been hailed by construction and bolting professionals as an amazingly simple and yet revolutionary product which enables someone tightening a bolt to see just when they should stop tightening—not too soon, and not too late. Tens of millions have been supplied to structural bolting applications world wide, and now are available for wind power.
Located in Bellows Falls, VT, Applied Bolting Technology is the world's premier manufacturer of Direct Tension Indicators for structural connections. For more information, contact Barnaby Myhrum at 800-552-1999, or visit www.appliedbolting.com.
Germanischer Lloyd (GL) is a ship classification society and an international inspection, certification and technical consultancy company. With its head office in Hamburg (Germany) GL employs more than 5,000 engineers, surveyors, experts and administrative staff in 77 countries. For more information, visit www.gl-group.com.
New Bolting Articles
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Download | "Applied Bolting & Germanischer Lloyd Work Together For Wind Turbine Tower Flange Bolt Squirter® DTIs " |
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Download | "RC Tests, Nut Factors, and the Europeans" |
Read more articles about bolting
Wind Generator Tower Splice Bolts:
The Problems in North America
by Wayne Wallace - President, Applied Bolting Technology
Published in North American Windpower magazine, November 2008
Wind generators, designed and built for many years in Europe, are now being constructed and manufactured in North America. Because the engineering for them has been based on European standards, the bolts used to assemble them have usually been designed as metric. In a wind generator, there are all the various bolts in the nacelle, the bolts connecting the hub to the generator, the bolts connecting the blades to the hub, and the bolts used to splice the tower sections together in the field. They all are important and critical.
But this discussion will concentrate only on the tower splice bolts. In Europe these are big bolts, typically M36 at least, more frequently M42 and M48 diameter, and occasionally M56 and M64 (!!). Lengths of the M42/48 vary from 330 to 380 mm, and grade 10.9 strength is typical.
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Download | "Wind Generator Tower Splice Bolts: The Problems in North America" |
Applied Bolting QA Lab Ten Years Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025
"One of the best Quality Systems I've ever seen." - ISO/IEC auditor
The Applied Bolting QA Lab has completed its tenth year as an ISO/IEC 17025
accredited Materials Testing Laboratory! The lab has recently achieved its
sixth consecutive accreditation to this rigorous standard and also has
qualified for Supplier Merit Program status. The fact that the lab has
consistently been accredited with few non-conformances is a testimony to the
competence of its staff and the integrity of its structure. This ensures
that you can depend upon the excellence of the products and services you
receive from Applied Bolting Technology Products.
Our quality meets the highest standards and stands up to the toughest
scrutiny.
Learn more about our Quality Assurance
IN THE NEWS
Profiles in Business:Applied Bolting Technology | Vermont Business Magazine
How well do Squirter® DTIs work?
In 2008 the University of Toronto, at the request of Applied Bolting,
subjected Squirter® DTI's to independent testing with the objective of
determining just how accurately they work. Using outside disinterested
workers, who were asked to follow Applied's calibration instructions and
then to tighten bolts blind using just Squirter® DTIs, and then by checking
actual bolt tensions using ultrasonic measurement, they found that Squirter® DTIs
gave them almost exactly the tension they were aiming for.
Here's the University of Toronto report in summary form as delivered to the Research Council on Structural Connections (RCSC) June 2008 meeting:
Download Report in PowerPoint (2.5 MB pps) format
What the pros say about our products: Squirter® DTIs
Observation from Tom Picaso of Edison Mission Energy, Irvine California, who
has built and now maintains 200 generators, at the June 2008 AWEA Trade Show
in Houston, where 350 wind power exhibitors were present:
"...Your Squirter ® DTI is only the third product I've seen at this trade show that can really help contractors in this business ..."
"I've specified standard DTI's for years, but found that our contractors sometimes didn't check with a feeler gage as diligently as they should. With Squirter® DTIs, they can see if they have tightened it enough, and they don't miss any. And, Squirter® DTIs are a big help with the ICC Special Inspectors too, because they can see the squirt has happened even though they might not have been right there at the time."
Read more Squirter® DTI testimonials
Squirter® DTIs: Technology For a Modern World
"The times they are a-changin" —Bob Dylan. There was a day when, if you wanted a steel erector to "snug" a connection, mark it, then hold the bolt head and rotate the nut either 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 turn, it would happen. Today, it probably won't... Read Full Article (pdf)
View All Articles
Bolting Contructability: in 3D3D
3D Interactive Bolting Technology: helping to prevent global warming, solve world hunger, bring our troops home, and all the while making for Better Constructability.
Read the "Boltzitzer" Prize* nominated article:
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Download | "Emailing Interactive 3-D Bolting Pictures Makes for Better Constructability" |
View All Articles
November 2007 Squirter® DTI's Specified for Dubai's new Jebel Ali airport project.
The steel frames for Dubai's existing airport terminal stuctures, Terminal One, then Terminal Two, have used Squirter® DTI's. In 2005 Cleveland Bridge Middle East proposed Squirter® DTI's for the first parts of the Dubai International Airport structures, some 29,000 tonnes of steelwork. The consultant, DAR of Cairo asked CBME to test the Squirter® DTIs extensively to be sure the silicone squirt could be a reliable indicator of bolt tension. CBME then went on to use them and throughout the project, now with Terminal Three about 42,000 tonnes. Squirter® DTIs gave the owners visual assurance the connections were done right, and the Squirt feature helped avoid overtensioning the A490 bolts.
Now the next Dubai airport is beginning construction, and Squirter® DTI's are to be used again.
http://www.dargroup.com/
May 2007 Applied Bolting Celebrates Opening of their new Squirter® Room
The twenty employees of Applied Bolting took a break for lunch, and then
toasts with champagne, to celebrate the official opening of their new
Squirter® DTI production room. After five years in much smaller
accommodations, the added 3000 square feet of space will make the operation
of the three silicone deposition robots and the associated curing equipment
much more economical and worker-friendly.
They Said it Couldn't Be Done...
They said it couldn't be done - to stamp a 5/16" thick 16 bump Squirter® to fit an M64 (2 1/2"+) diameter bolt and to generate 1680 kN of force (!!). But we did it, and now we are continuing to perfect the Squirt action on bolts of these diameters. Call for information.
SQUIRTER® FAQ: What to include in Inspection Test Plans (ITPs)
Bolt Coating Thickness and Nut Overtapping — A Lesson in Practical Necessity
Applied Bolting Helps Union Ironworkers Apprentice Program
Here's what some have to say about Squirter® DTIs and Applied Bolting's
benefit to the industry of structural steel bolting.
We are truly flattered.
View Letter 1 View Letter 2 View Letter 3 View Letter 4 View Letter 5
Recommended Wrench Capacity & Make
Use of DTI Washer in Accordance with ICC Specifications
Squirter® use helps CBE and DAR achieve bolting and inspection in record time at Dubai International Airport
The first 8000 tons of the new terminal building used standard DTI's.
When Cleveland Bridge began their portion, they began to use Squirter® DTI's.
Now, several hundred thousand Squirter® DTIs later, they would not change
back. The project has three levels of inspection: Cleveland Bridge, the
outside inspection company, and the inspectors from the owner's consultant DAR.
Despite all this inspection, CBE state that they get their bolting done
and approved in record time, and they tell us that's because of the visual
comfort that Squirter® DTIs afford the site staff. As the bolts approach
full tension, the installers and inspectors can see it, and they don't go
too far. Once CBE finishes a point, it gets inspected, and there are never
call-backs.
View The Dubai International Airport project page
Visit the DAR Group website
Coated Bolts Can Improve Constructability
Download the article in PDF format (176k)
or view this article and more in our
Downloads Section
Direct Tension Indicators: Squirter® DTI's and Constructability
Bolting can consume 30 percent of all field labor to erect steelwork. Inspection labor would be in addition to this.
Technologies make a lot of sense that reduce field installation and inspection labor, and that?s what constructability is all about. Read more here.
M36 Euro Squirter® DTIs- Cheaper, Better Than Torque
Here's some work we did on proving the M36 DTI made specially for the windpower industry really works:
Read more here.
BULLETINS
New Spanish squirter® DTI Installation and Calibration sheet - click here
Squirter® DTIs and Squirter-Twist
Bolts Win Modern Steel Hot Products Competition! -
The results are in! Attendees at the North American Steel Construction
Conference in Long Beach California were invited to vote for products
that they thought merited a "People's Choice" award. They voted, and the
winners were both Squirter-Twist bolts and Squirter® DTI's. Congratulations
to us at Applied Bolting Technology. Now, what do we win?
Application Advisory: Weathering Steel DTI's on Bridges
