WINTER 2017

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