Bolt Tensioning Systems

Most industrial environments contain hundreds of bolts that hold equipment and machinery in place. Some of these bolts are critical for the safe operation of the machinery, and consequently the safety of the workers that operate them. Should these crucial bolts fail it may lead to equipment damage, production downtime, and even injury to personnel. Therefore, ensuring correct bolt tensioning is essential, as over tightening that can lead to premature fatigue and the breakdown of joints, and if under tensioned the joints could come apart. In most instances tightening to the correct tension relies on the skill of the operator and so is subject to errors.

LCM Systems manufacture washer/bolt tensioning load cells that can be used to improve the accuracy of the bolt tensioning process, and as a result improve infrastructure reliability and safety. Monitoring over time for tightness becomes a simple exercise and removes the need for a physical inspection and a mechanical torque reading of each bolt. This is particularly useful for bolts that are difficult to access.

Our WAS load cells are simple and quick to install and can provide continuous tension monitoring. We can provide just the load cell and a handheld display for periodic checks, or a more comprehensive system that includes instrumentation with alarms to alert asset owners when tensions exceed or fall below predefined limits. 

In addition to our WAS bolt tensioning load cell, we also supply several other load cells that can be used for bolt tension monitoring. See below for further details on these and our WAS load cell.