WINTER 2016

178 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CARMEN VERTULLO TO BAKE OR NOT TO BAKE? from page 176
If you have made it this far you probably have more
than a passing interest in the topic of Hydrogen
Embrittlement in Fasteners. Don’t stop now. Some
essential references you should have on hand are listed
at the end of this article. Much of the information in this
article is cited from one or more of them. If you use this
article to help in developing your HE risk management
strategy, or to advise a customer be sure and cite from
one of these resources. This author will be happy to
assist you finding these citations if needed.
[1] Fundamentals of Hydrogen Embrittlement in
Steel Fasteners, Salim Brahimi
Available from the Industrial Fasteners Institute,
www.indfast.org. This document is in process of
becoming an ISO Technical Paper and should be the best
available authority on HE in fasteners.
[2] ASTM A574, Alloy Steel Socket Head Cap
Screws; ASTM F1941/F1941M, Electrodeposited
Coatings in Mechanical Fasteners, Inch and
Metric; ASTM F606/F606M, Standard Test Methods
for Determining the Mechanical Properties of
Externally and Internally Threaded Fasteners,
Washers, Direct Tension Indicators, and Rivets
All are found in the Industrial Fasteners Institute
Inch Fasteners Handbook, 9th Edition, available from the
Industrial Fasteners Institute, www.indfast.org, or as
individual specifications from ASTM at www.astm.org. All
suppliers and users of fasteners should have this
handbook. It is the most economical and authoritative
source of fastener technical data for inch fasteners.
[3] ISO 898-1 Mechanical Properties of Fasteners
Made of Carbon Steel and Alloy Steel and ISO
4042 Fasteners — Electroplated Coatings
Available from the Industrial Fasteners Institute,
www.indfast.org or from ISO directly as individual
standards or in the ISO Metric Screw Thread and
Fastener Handbook. The IFI website will provide the
direct link to ISO for obtaining these standards. All
suppliers and users of fasteners should have the ISO
handbook. It is the most economical and authoritative
source of fastener technical data for metric fasteners.
[4] Various Technical Bulletins on the subject of
hydrogen embrittlement in fasteners.
Available from the Industrial Fasteners Institute,
www.indfast.org (Some of these are in process of being
updated with the latest technical information as found in
Fundamentals of Hydrogen Embrittlement in Steel
Fasteners, Salim Brahimi). The best source for obtaining
these technical bulletins is by subscription to the IFI
Technology Connection (ITC).
The IFI website at www.indfast.org/technology will
provide you with a demonstration and free test ride of the
ITC.
This author is available to consult with your HE
risk management strategy team and we will be
presenting a hands-on training program on
Hydrogen Embrittlement Testing for Fasteners
at the Carver FACT (Fastening Applications,
Consulting and Training) Center in San Diego,
CA Feb 29-March 30, 2016. This program will
thoroughly equip your quality department
personnel in understanding how to prevent,
recognize, and test for HE in fasteners.
They will study several real life HE cases,
conduct several HE tests on HE affected
fasteners, conduct Rockwell Hardness testing
to determine lot susceptibility, they will find out
how to specify and procure the equipment
needed to test your specific product mix, they
will write HE Risk Management Policies for your
specific market and products, and study in
detail all of the specifications and standards
that speak to the issue of HE in fasteners. They
will return to the job ready to execute on an
effective HE Risk Management Strategy that
fits your company.
Please contact the author or visit
www.carverem/fasteners.com for more details
on this training if you are interested. The class
will be limited in size to give each student
maximum individual attention, so do not delay
in expressing your interest.
CARMEN VERTULLO | FASTENER TRAINING INSTITUTE