Fasteners :Machine elements: Fasteners

Because they are normally among the most fragile elements of machines or assemblies, the
correct determination of fasteners is one of the crucial parts of a project.

What is a Fastener?
In mechanics, the need to join pieces like plates, sections, and bars is very common. Any
assembly, however simple it may be, requires the union of parts together, but the mechanical
parts to be joined require the proper elements of marriage that are named fasteners.
Most commonly, the fasteners used in mechanics are: rivets, pins, bolts, screws, nuts, washers,
and braces.

Mobile and permanent fasteners

The union of parts made by the fasteners can be of two types: mobile or permanent.
In the mobile type of union, the fasteners can be placed or removed from the set without causing
any damage to parts that were attached. This is the case, for example, unions made with bolts,

nuts and washers.

The type of permanent union, the fasteners, when
installed, can not be removed without becoming unusable. This is the case, for example, for

unions made with rivets and welds.

Both mobile and permanent bonding
should be used with great skill and care because they are usually the weakest components of the
machine. Thus, to design a mechanical assembly, it is necessary to choose the fixture for the type
of parts that will be attached or fixed. If, for example, if you join robust parts with weak and
poorly planned fasteners, the assembly will present failures and may become unusable,
occasioning waste of time, material, and financial resources.
It is still important to plan properly and choose the correct fasteners to be used to avoid stress
concentration in the parts set. These strains can cause disruption due to fatigue of the material, ie,
the decrease of strength or weakness of the material due to stress and constant effort.

Gallery of fasteners

Kinds of fasteners
A screw is a piece consisting of a cylindrical body and a screw
head, which can take many forms;
The nut is shaped like a prism or cylinder and presents a threaded
hole. Through this hole, the nut is screwed to the screw;
The rivet is formed by a cylindrical body and a head. It is
manufactured in steel, aluminum, copper or brass. It is used for permanent fixed-tion of two
or more pieces;
Pins join articulated parts. In this type of union, one of the pieces
can move by rotation;
The peg connect parts that are not interconnected;
The cotter is a rod or wire in a shape similar to that of a halfcylinder, folded so as to make a circular head and has two uneven legs. Place the counter-pin
or cotter pins in a hole at the end of a pin or screw and nut castle. Cotter's legs are turned
backwards and thus prevent the output of the pin or nut during vibrations of the clamped
parts;
The washer is a metal disk with a hole in the center and the body
of the screw goes through the hole;
The snap ring is used to prevent displacement of axes. It also
serves to position or limit the movement of a piece that slides over a shaft.