New DSP invention, ultrasonic invention,
& software invention, combine to more reliably measure actual bolt tension,
not just bolt torque. Nondestructive testing new invention. New patented
technology. See comparison table.
NDT
Update says: " SureBolt outperformed the one-point bolt gauges
on every bolt and every test in reliability and accuracy."
Here is a new patented invention that is useful in
these areas:
1. Bolt failures. What new invention can help mechanical engineers avoid bolt failures? The number one reason, stated by bolting experts, for bolt
failures is? Lack of proper pre-load tension. What are some of the factors that cause pre-load
tension errors? This affects a bolted joint design, especially
the assumptions in structural analysis software.
2. Bolt tension, not bolt torque.
Tension not torque. You want to put a known amount of tension
into your nut and bolt combination, not just a known amount of torque. Your
structural analysis often relies on proper pre-load tension. New invention lets
you measure pre-load.
3. Measure Tension errors. How can this
new invention measure torque wrench errors?
Do these bolt tension errors matter? These errors often
affect a mechanical engineer's structural analysis.
4. Bolt gage. Your joint's stress analysis
can be verified using a bolt gage. What is an ultrasonic bolt gage? See an animated demonstration of
an ultrasonic echo inside of a bolt. Engineering labs
rarely have enough resources to let each engineer learn ultrasonics.
Are bolt gages reliable? Are they easy to use? New
patented technology has finally made ultrasonic bolt gages reliable and easy
to use.
5. Friction. Mechanical engineers know
that bolt and nut friction consume over 80% of the torque measurement.
But, how does the actual tension vary bolt to bolt?
What if you use the same type of bolt? This may affect a mechanical engineer's structural analysis.
6. Stress, strain & yield. A stress strain curve can be plotted using SureBolt. Stress strain
and yield. SureBolt's new invention can help a engineer verify
his bolted joint
design. Did his bolt reach yield?
7. Flanges. Flange joints sometimes leak. Why does the tension in a flange bolt
vary so much, bolt to bolt? How can you tighten each flange bolt to closer tolerances?
How can you use SureBolt on a flange?
8. SureBolt. How does SureBolt differ from any other ultrasonic bolt
gauge? What is the difference between a one-point bolt gage and SureBolt's
patented whole echo method? Are the prices similar? (Yes)
9. Engineers. Some engineers use a strain gauge to measure bolt tension because
they know a torque wrench is not directly measuring tension.
Yet their structural analysis software may assume a limited amount
of error (+- 25%) when calculating bolt tension from bolt torque.
10. Tension errors. What are some of the tension errors associated with using a torque
wrench? Does your stress analysis software let you enter the
tension error ranges?
11. Engineering. This site is a engineering resource for torque versus
tension in bolted joints.
SureBolt is apatented nondestructive testing - NDT - method of measuring bolt tension.
Non destructive testing includes the use of ultrasonics.
SureBolt's Whole Echo
patented technology greatly increases reliability by using the whole echo
instead of just one point.
All other bolt gages use just "One
Point" (one zero crossing), that leaves you susceptible to peak
jumping (20% or more error). Surebolt is a more reliable bolt gage due to
a new patented technology. See comparison table.
Bolt gages have been around for over 20
years. Their "Peak Jumping"
problems have kept them from being widely used. When your bolted joint
fails or flange leaks, then you find out your bolt gage may have
jumped peaks.
With a lot of training and laboratory testing, NASA has used bolt
gages for years. NASA physically takes Polaroid pictures of the echoes
before and after tensioning. Then they use their trained human
experience to determine if the echo has distorted
"too-much". Even after all
this, they have to throw away approximately one third of the ET
measurements because they are not reliable. When NASA used the
SureBolt prototype, no measurements had to be thrown away.
SureBolt gives you a 13.3" TFT, portable PC
(Panasonic Toughbook Model 72). The ultrasonic pulser and digitizer are built into the CD ROM
and PCMCIA slots. Click here to see
the actual SureBolt screens. See the animated DEMO page
to see how an ultrasonic bolt gage can measure tension. SureBolt has been used
on special high strength titanium bolts to standard "off the shelf"
bolts.
"Echo
Time". See animation below of how to ultrasonically
measure the change in bolt tension using echo time.
This animation requires FLASH
(version 4 or higher).
FAST-DAQ Let us know how we can help you.
Telephone
(800) 732-7832
Postal address
1022 Antelope Trail, Winter Springs, FL 32708, USA
Send your email to
with
questions or
comments about how we can help. Contact us here,
or type in the email address shown above (Due to spam, we have replaced the text
email address, with the image email address shown above).
Note: Privacy. We will NOT give your contact information to
anyone.
No more guessing as to
which "one point" is the right point.
The FIRST whole
echo method (patented DSP Technique).
Built into a
Panasonic Toughbook
Visitors Since 1-22-02
Last Modified:
September 27, 2011
[SureBolt] [ Video ]
