Swift‐Constructed Demountable Blind Bolt for Fast Execution and Disassembling of SHS Connection

Abstract

AbstractIn the past decades, blind bolts were developed for structural hollow section (SHS) connection, and various types of blind bolt products have been commercially available. Nevertheless, some of the existing blind bolts cannot be easily demounted without the need of machine cutting after installation. Even if some blind bolts can achieve demountable function for structure by leaving some components inside the tube during the removal process, their installation and removal speed probably require to be raised further, or their mechanical performances may need to improve further for wider application. Therefore, it is worthy to develop a demountable blind bolt that has better mechanical performance, as well as can be installed and demounted easily and fast. In this study, the swift‐constructed demountable blind bolt is proposed. Design details, installation and removal process, material selection, heat treatment selection, relevant material examinations, and fabrication method are introduced accordingly. Experimental investigation is conducted to validate the proposed objective of this proposed bolt. Test results reveal that this proposed bolt has satisfactory mechanical performance, and the improvement of bolt tensile strength compared with the existing product can be achieved appropriately.