What's the characteristics & advantage of bolt connection?

Full-bolt connection, as the name suggests, means that the main stress-bearing parts in the connection are only bolts. Connections such as column foot, primary and secondary beams, beam columns, supports in the steel structure can be fully bolted together.

1.1 Reduced requirements for on-site installation conditions

During bolt connection construction, workers can fulfill the fabrication with simple installation tools. While the traditional welding connection requires special welding equipment and electrical equipment.

At the same time, from the perspective of code's requirements, the operation requirements for bolt connection will be more relaxed. For example, bolt construction can be carried out at temperatures above -10°C, while welding construction requires preheating of the connected parts when the temperature is low. Of course, the biggest difference lies in the personnel requirements. When welding, construction personnel are required to have professional skills and pass the safety technology examination, and hold a certificate before they can work, but there is no corresponding requirement for bolt construction personnel.

1.2 Quality control for connection

On-site welding is a concealed project, and its quality is greatly affected by various factors, such as temperature, welding position, welding level, etc. Therefore, corresponding quality inspections are required for welds with high requirements to ensure the strength of their connections. The technical indicators of the bolt connection are relatively simple, and there are special tools and measures to ensure the reliability of the connection. Therefore, from the perspective of connection quality, the quality of bolts is more stable, and does not require too many additional safeguards.

1.3 Environmental protection

Welding will inevitably produce corresponding light pollution and gas pollution on site, but the bolting process will not have this problem. For the construction industry, carbon emissions during the construction phase are a key node. When full bolt connection is adopted, all welding work can be transferred to the factory, and carbon emissions can be reduced through technical means, which will be more controllable than on-site welding operations.

1.4 Easy to disassemble

Compared with the concrete structure, the biggest characteristic of the steel structure is that the structure has a certain detachability. When the bolt connection is fully used, the detachability of the structure is better, and the components can be separated only by removing the connecting bolts. This characteristic can conveniently realize the functional adjustment of the local structure.