Know all about nuts and bolts

What are nuts?

Nuts are usually circular in shape, with threads inside, used to hold a bolt and help fasten things together. Nuts can never be used without a bolt. 

Nuts and bolts are held together by the combination of friction of their heads, slight stretch of the bolt and the compression of the part. They help prevent the loosening of the parts of the machines, especially during vibrations.

What are bolts?

Bolts consist of cylindrical trunks with grooves that help hold various objects together. The grooves are similar to those present inside the nuts. 

A bolt fits into a nut and through rotational forces, they are both held together. Bolts come in a variety of shapes, but it is important to note that every bolt has a special nut that it fits in, thus, a careful selection of the two is very important.

Types of Bolts

Bolts are available in the following variants:

• Carriage bolts: Domed in shape, with an enlarged head
• Hex bolts: Have six-sided heads, a hex cap and machine threads for better grip.
• U bolts: Shaped like the letter have screw heads on both the ends.
• Lag bolts: Do not require a nut to be used
• Speciality bolts: Come in various sizes, from less than an mm to 20 inches in length.

Types of Nut

Nuts are available in the following variants:

• Axle hat nut: They are domed in shape
• Hex nuts: They are six-sided, used with a hex bolt, attached with a wrench
• Jam nuts: They are half the length of hex nuts
• Prevailing torque nuts: They are also known as lock nuts
• Push nuts: They require a special driver for installation and can be capped and uncapped.
• Rod coupling nuts: Have a hollow threaded fastener
• Sheet metal nuts: Have two metal plates functioning as one
• Square nuts: They are four-sided with internal threading
• Tee nuts: Have a flange at the end of a long threaded body
• U nuts: Made from one piece of rolled thread
• Wing nuts: Have two wings

Common nuts and bolts finishes

Steel, titanium or even plastic can be used to make bolts and nuts. The finish on the same will definitely help define its durability and its look. Below are common finishes and their advantages- 

• Anodizing: Aluminium finish with a hard boxed surface to resist rusting.
• Zinc: Most common, highly durable and resists rusting.
• Chromium: Bright finish, durable, resists rusting
• Nickel: Very good finish, higher investment, excellent resistance against rust.
• Chromate: Has colour and shine, apart from rust resistance.

Thus, selecting the correct bolts and nuts for your requirement is not that easy a task. It is very important to ensure that you do consult an expert for the same before making the purchase. A careful selection not only will help keep your objects sturdy but will help save money as well. 

Bolts are fasteners used to hold things together. You will be amazed to know the number of bolts and nuts available in the market these days. Most bolts have machine threads that help screw them into nuts. Bolts can be eye bolts, wheel bolts or machine bolts, while nuts, on the other hand, could be cap nuts, expansion nuts and nuts. Let’s know more about the types of bolts there are and how to use them in the right place.