WINTER 2017

26 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

26 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Guy Avellon Guy Avellon has been in MRO and Fastener Distribution for over 30 years, in such positions Sales Engineer, Chief Engineer, Manager of Product Marketing, Product Engineering & Quality and Director of Quality & Engineering. He founded GT Technical Consultants where he performs failure analysis, lectures on fastener safety, works for law firms and designs/audits Quality systems. He is a member of SAE, is Vice Chairman of the ASTM F16 Fastener Committee, Chairman of the F16.01 Test Methods Committee and received the ASTM Award of Merit in 2005. Guy can be contacted at 847- 477-5057, Email: ExpertBoltGuy@gmail.com or visit www.BoltFailure.com. WHAT FASTENER DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO KNOW TO ANSWER CUSTOMER QUESTIONS - PART 3 In the previous two issues we answered several questions regarding fastener use and torque, primarily because many answers to some common questions are not in any printed form. Being in print and subject to peer review seems to help validate the answers to these questions, besides providing a handy reference source. Before answering any customer’s question, or referring them to a third party, find out about the nature of the application: In maintenance and repairing parts, do I need to replace what was removed with the same style or grade of fastener? ANSWER: Absolutely! If for no other reason: liability Liability plays an important part when performing repairs in a public facility, such as an auto shop, school bus garage, contract maintenance, etc. The intent here is to facilitate repairs so they are performing exactly as they would from the manufacturer. Servicing distributors know their customers and what they need, maybe a little more than non-servicing distributors. However, it is up to the customer to use the proper replacement parts. For example; when removing a Grade 8 or 10.9 fastener that was designated as OEM, that fastener must be replaced with the exact same grade, length and thread pitch. Otherwise it could CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE compromise other fasteners in the same connection and the overall safety and performance of the parts. I perform general plant maintenance; do I still need to replace a failed fastener with the same type? ANSWER: Yes and No. This will greatly depend upon the application. If this is around heat, boilers and pressure vessels, you must use the B7 or special nonferrous alloy fasteners that were originally installed. Code requirements and liability play a large part here also. Safety critical applications should always use the same type and strength of fastener, if not completely replaced after each use. For general non-critical maintenance, personnel may use the same grade strength or use one strength grade higher. Machines become worn after a period of use and fasteners often fail. In this case, replacing a Grade 5 with a Grade 8 (Property Class 8.8 with a 10.9) may provide the extra strength and safety factor that will overcome future maintenance problems. Also, make sure the nuts, if used, match the new fastener grade and be sure to replace all the fasteners in the connection with the same grade at the same time. CONTINUED ON PAGE 104