Technical Specification

TS3 Tightening Procedure for high

strength steel bolts
Part-turn Method

CBH Engineering Pty Ltd

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TS3 Tightening procedure for high strength steel bolts

Document Control
Document owner:

Operations & Engineering Manager

Change Control Policy

Any amendment to this standard must be recorded in the table below.
If substantial changes are made a new version of the document shall be created to preserve an
audit trail.
Review

Date

15/07/2009 T. Tyler

Reformatting.

20/7/2009

T. Tyler

Previously TS 7

20/4/2009

T. Tyler

Re-brand

17/11/2014 J. McMiles

DOCS 826854v3

Author

Description of amendments

Updates styling and formatting.

TS3 Tightening procedure for high strength steel bolts

Contents
1.

Scope

2.

General

3.

Assembly Procedure

4.

Tightening Procedure

5.

Inspection

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TS3 Tightening procedure for high strength steel bolts

1.

Scope

This Specification covers the tightening and inspection procedures to be adopted in tightening High-Strength
steel bolts using the part-turn methods.
The governing Australian Standards shall be the current issues and amendments of AS 4100 and AS/NZ
1252.

2.

General

The system of part-turn tightening shall be adopted, and shall be carried out in accordance with the following
procedure. The provisions laid down in AS 4100 for part-turn tightening shall generally apply.

3.

Assembly Procedure
3.1

Ensure nuts be placed so that the mark specified in AS/NZS 1252 to identify a high strength
nut is visible after tightening.

3.2

Ensure contact surfaces are clean and free from defects.

3.3

Packing shall be provided wherever necessary to ensure that the load transmitting plies are in
effective contact when the joint is tightened to the snug tight condition defined in Clause
15.2.5.2(a). All packing shall be steel with a surface condition similar to that of the adjacent
plies.

3.4

Line up holes with enough drift pins to maintain dimensions and plumbness of the structure.
Pins should not be removed until bolts in balance of holes have received final tightening.

3.5

Install bolts in the remaining holes, one washer only required to be placed under the rotating
component. Taper washers should be used where slope on any surface exceeds 3 and
where possible shall be placed under the non-rotating component. The nut shall be placed so
that the mark specified in AS 1252 to identify a high strength nut, is visible after tightening.

3.6

Snug-tightening and final tensioning of the bolts in a connection shall proceed from the stiffest
part of the connection towards the free edges. High strength structural bolts that are to be
tensioned may be used temporarily during erection to facilitate assembly, but if so used they
shall not be finally tensioned until all bolts in the connection have been snug tightened in the
correct sequence.

3.7

Re-tensioning of bolts which have been fully tensioned shall be avoided, except that if retensioning is carried out, it shall only be permitted once and only where the bolt remains in the
same hole in which it was originally tensioned and with the same grip. Re-tensioning of
galvanized bolts shall not be permitted. Under no circumstances shall bolts which have been
previously tensioned be reused in another hole. Touching up or re-tensioning of previously
tensioned bolts which may have been loosened by the tensioning of adjacent bolts shall not be
considered as re-tensioning.

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TS3 Tightening procedure for high strength steel bolts

4.

Tightening Procedure
MINIMUM BOLT TENSION TABLE
Nominal Diameter of Bolt

Minimum Bolt Tension kN

M16

95

M20

145

M24

210

M30

335

M36

490

Note: The minimum bolt tensions given in this table are approximately equivalent to the
loads given in AS/NZS 1252.

minimum proof

4.1

On assembly, all bolts in the connection shall be first tightened to a snug-tight condition to
ensure that the load transmitting piles are brought into effective contact. Snug-tight is the
tightness attained by a few impacts of an impact wrench or by the full effort of a person
using a standard podger spanner.

4.2

After completing snug-tightening, location marks shall be established to mark the relative
position of the bolt and the nut and to control the final nut rotation. Observation of the final
nut rotation may be achieved by using marked wrench sockets, but location marks shall be
permanent when required for inspection.

4.3

Bolts shall be finally tensioned by rotating the nut by the amount give in the Minimum Bolt
Tension Table above. During the final tensioning, the component not turned by the wrench
shall not rotate.

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TS3 Tightening procedure for high strength steel bolts

NUT ROTATION FROM THE SNUG-TIGHT CONDITION TABLE
Disposition of Outer Face of Bolted Parts
(see Notes 1,2,3 &4)
Bolt Length
(underside of head
to end of bolt)

Both Faces Normal

to Bolt Axis

One Face Normal to

Bolt Axis and Other
Sloped

Both Faces Sloped

Up to and Including 4
Diameters

1/3 Turn

1/2 Turn

2/3 Turn

Over 4 Diameters but

not Exceeding 8
Diameters

1/2 Turn

2/3 Turn

5/6 turn

Over 8 Diameters but

not Exceeding 12
Diameters
(see Note 5)

2/3 Turn

5/6 Turn

1 Turn

Notes:
1.

Tolerance on rotation for 1/2 turn or less, 1/12 of a turn (30) over and nil under tolerance, for 2/3 turn
or more, 1/8 of a turn (45) over and nil under tolerance.

2.

The bolt tension achieved with the amount of nut rotation specified in Nut Rotation from the Snug-Tight
Condition Table will be at least equal to the minimum bolt tension specified in the Minimum Bolt
Tension Table.

3.

Nut rotation is the rotation relative to the bolt, regardless of the component turned.

4.

Nut rotations specified are only applicable to connections in which all material within the grip of the bolt
is steel.

5.

No research has been performed to establish the turn-of-nut procedure for bolt lengths exceeding 12
diameters. Therefore the required rotation should be determined by actual test in a suitable tension
measuring device which simulates conditions of solidly fitted steel.

5.

Inspection
5.1

The Contractor shall ensure that the assembly and tightening procedures have been carried
out in accordance with this Specification. Bolts and nuts which, on visual inspection, show
any evidence of physical defects shall be removed and replaced.

5.2

The Contractor shall determine the number of bolts to be checked in each connection. A
suitable sample would consist of 10 percent of the bolts but not less than two bolts selected
at random at each joint.

5.3

Final inspection of bolt tightness by the use of an "Inspection Wrench" is left to the discretion
of the Engineer. This method shall be in accordance with AS 1511.
Any such inspection by the Engineer shall in no way relieve the Contractor of his
responsibility as detailed in Clauses 5.1 and 5.2 of this Specification.

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