Bolt Lube & Clamp Load

Do lubricants affect the loading of bolts? Find out what I learned with a simple experiment.
‪@HacksbyDad‬
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[@HacksbyDad]

For more... please check out my Nuts & Bolts playlist... kzbin.info/aero/PL_WcGw5s6Cq6YK_s-NNne1838j25ijmii 😎

[@polytech_nu]

...and still there ignorant people saying: "No, grease doesn't affect the torque specifications..." Some people are very stubborn or dumb. You may decide which it is. ;-) It's good that this video proves that applying a lubricant does affect the torque. 😎

[@hardcorejohn69]

Not to be THAT guy, but I guess I will be. Torque wasn't affected. Clamp load sure as hell was though lol. That's why for mission critical clamp load (head bolts, space shuttles, etc), you preload to some middle of the road torque, then final bolt tension is achieved by degrees/number of turns.

[@polytech_nu]

@@hardcorejohn69 The goal is to have the desired clamp load. When grease is applied, the needed torque changed. So the application of grease (or thread locker) will affect the needed torque. Thus this affect the needed torque. If the middle of the road torque is way off due to (the absence of) grease or thread locker, the clamp load is still way off at a fixed number of turns/rotation. So I guess you're indeed that guy... 😅

[@hardcorejohn69]

@@polytech_nu lol we're dealing with semantics as is tradition in comments, and almost saying the same thing. If you meant needed torque from the beginning of your statement, then we're saying the same thing.

[@fookingsog]

Dang WoW!!!🤯 I'd be curious to see how three other "lubricants" would do... 1. Powdered Graphite 2. Teflon (PTFE) Pipe Tape (or paste) 3. Simple Bar of Ivory Soap rubbed on the bolt threads. Sounds silly, I know, but hey!...why not?!🤔 PS--I used to rub Ivory bar soap on wood screws before assembly. Even with Oak and extremely dense Pine and even pre-drilling pilot holes, the soap on the threads made it sooo much easier to screw into the wood!!! After sitting awhile, the soap will dry out into the wood and the screw remains secure. I discovered how there are different grades/densities of pine when I worked at a building components manufacturer as an estimator...Roof trusses, floor trusses & wall panels. On roof & floor trusses, different grades/hardness/density between the top and bottom chords...as the top chord was under compression and the bottom chord was under tension. Had to be loaded and engineered correctly for the "clear span" distance covered and the cost. Super interesting stuff! Thanks for your videos!!!😁👍🏻

[@HacksbyDad]

Thanks for the idea on the other lubricants. I just might give them a try. 😎

[@slaplapdog]

Very nice.

[@HacksbyDad]

Thanks! 😎

[@ME-ys6vl]

Excellent test! That really is a great way of determining how to account for it. It'd be neat to see the same setup but instead, see what the torque is given a set force load on the eyebolt, then plot it on a curve. That'd be helpful to know how much to back off the torque depending on the lube. Maybe different size bolts would affect it? I dunno. Great test!

[@HacksbyDad]

Thanks! I'll probably conduct another test in the future. 😎

[@discerningmind]

Bear in mind not to use WD-40 on nylon bolts unless you want them locked together.

[@HacksbyDad]

What?! Are you serious? I might have to test that out. Is it an instant thing or does it happen over a long period of time? 😎

[@discerningmind]

@@HacksbyDad My experience with nylon nuts and bolts was instant after a shot of WD-40.

[@HacksbyDad]

@@discerningmind I'll give it a try and maybe post a video. Thanks for the idea!

[@Vlad-bm3cc]

Hi, I guess that 4 ft-lbs is quite low for lubrication test, as pressure is also not too high, and even thin lube like WD40 could perform very well, but if you go to higher torque, even high-pressure lubricants like graphite or molybdenum grease gives much lower tension increase. I saw test with bolt M12 and torque 50 ft-lbs, where graphite grease increased tension by 34%, and molybdenum by 24%. Other bearing greases shows much less increase - 3% or 12%.

[@HacksbyDad]

Thanks! I was hoping to use a greater torque but was limited by my small digital scale. I’m thinking of redoing the test with a lever setup which should allow me to use more torque… or get a bigger scale. LOL 😎

[@immanutt4442]

imagine that - WD 40 was close to Anti Sieze

[@tba3900]

Can you try this with silicon spray.