Catch defective tapping screws your customers before Moet extenaty threaded fasten- exs in high-volume assembly are self- tapping screws. These include sheet- metal screws, commonly referred to as Types A, AB, and B; thread-cut- ting screws, commonly known as Types F and T or 23; thread-rolling screws; and self-drilling serews. These various types are popular because they benefit the assembly operation by decreasing the number of components required, climinat- ing additional operations such as tapping or drilling, and speeding as- sembly. Suppliers of tapping screws should conduct four simple tests to insure that the parts they supply perform properly for their custom- ers at the point of assembly. With growing emphasis on just-in-time (IT) delivery, defective screws found by the end user on the assem- bly line can be a major disaster. These situations can result in a great deal of frenzied effort and tremen- dous expense to the supplier to re- place the defective parts. In the worst case, a supplier can lose a valued customer, Four simple-to-do tests will tell the supplier if parts are too hard, too soft, or have hydrogen embrit- tlement: 1 Duetility. 2 Torsional strength. 3 Drive 4 Hydrogen embrittlement Ductitity test. This is a simple test in which the operator first places a part into a specified hole in a hard- ened block having a 10-degree angle on its face, then strikes the part on its head with a hammer. If the head separates completely from the body, the part is either too hard in its core, the case hardness is too deep, the thread has cut the underhead radius, by Joe Greenslade President Fastener Inspes Fort Worth, TX n Products 48. Fastener Technology\June 1987 bt acesti Torsional-sirength fost. or the recess is too deep. Any of these problems can result in screws that break during assembly, causing lost production. Torsional-strength test. Here, the screw is held in a threaded split col- let that mounts in a special fixture. The fixture is designd to hold the serew in proper relationship to a driving tool. When the tool applies torque, the screw must withstand a minimum torque value without twisting into two pieces. If the part fails at a value below the required value, it indicates low core hardness, low case depth, or too small a minor diameter. These problems may cause screws to twist PRE MB cour Sy REVIEW OF TES RESULTS. = Pee ean once, Wd in.two at assembly, resulting in pro- duction slowdown and possible product rework. Drive testing. This test is performed by driving tapping screws through a test plate having a hardness of Rockwell B 70 to 85, a specified thickness of 0.002", and a speci- fied hole size +0.001". After the major diameter of the screw has passed through the plate, the threads are examined. If any defor- mation is obvious in the thread shape, the parts have a case hard- ness that is too soft or too shallow. For thread-rolling screws, the driv- ing torque is to be recorded and compared to a given maximum driDrive test ToRGUE wenn Brive-Torque test the ing-torque requirement. If threads deform, or the driving torque is too high, assembly pro- blems are likely to occur. Hydrogen embrittlement testing Hydrogen-embrittlement failures are among the most frustrating and potentially costly problems with electroplated tapping screws, be- cause the failures occur up to 24 hr after installation instead of immedi- ately at the time of assembly. For this test, the operator drives five tapping screws with washers in« toa drive test plate until they fail by stripping or breaking. He records the information and multiplies the average failure torque by 80 per- cent. He then sets eight or more ad- ditional screws at that calculated value and allows the parts to sit for 24 hr. Then he retightens the screws to the calculated figure. If the head break off, hydrogen embrittlement indicated, The presence of hydrogen embrit- tlement causes extremely large losses, resulting in assembly rework and possible scrap. The best-known method of preventing it in electro- plated tapping screws is for the user to require that parts be baked for at settee Bes. eg Hydrogen-embritilement test, least 4 hr at 400 F within 1 hr after plating. jum performance standaras for these tests are published by the IFI, ANSI, SAE, General Motors, Fastener Inspection Products (FIP- 1000.1-1000.7), ete. Manufacturers should employ these tests whether supplying end users oF distributors. Distributors should indicate the standards they can expect on their purchase orders to ensure receiving good-quality parts. They can do this simply by in- dicating the specification number. There are various standards, and some are more stringent than oth- ers. For example, most. imported tapping screws are made to ISO standards, which have no require- ments for ductility or hydrogen-em- brittlement testing, The General Motors and FIP standards are the most thorough, providing the great- est assurance of trouble-free perfor- mance. With the knowledge of the require- ments of tapping-screw perfor- manee, the proper equipment, and a little time on each lot of screws, the supplier can detect. and correct, many potentially disruptive and ag- gravating problems before his cus- tomers do. Today’s US manufacturers are in- sisting on JIT deliveries and defect- free parts. Suppliers ready to meet eee ates Measuring crossed-recess drive sys tems: Wobble gage (right) deter- mines compatibility of cross. re: cesses in screw heads with compan- Jon serew drivers. 1! indicoles the point where deviations in recess contours affect satisfactory driver engogement. Recess-penetration gage (left) tells whether recess is a0 shallow or too loose. Electronic SPC output is optional. Courtesy Fastener Inspection Products these demands will prosper in the future. Those who do not will find it increasingly difficult to supply pro- duction quantity items. NEW ADDRESS! Greenslade & Company 2234 Wenneca Street Fort Worth, TX 76102 817-870-8888, 817-870-9199 Fax June 1987/Fastener Technology 47Test Plates TEST PLATES for Screws and Bolts ‘Test plates are important inspection items. Their proper use will call attention to problems before the fasteners cause assembly or warranty problems. Untapped test plates are required to properly test tap- ping screws (Types A, AB, B, F 1, 23, TT, SF, etc.) for their ability to drive and to detect the presence of hydrogen embrittlement. ‘Tapped test plates are required to test machine screws and bolts which are electroplated and Rockwell C30 or harder to detect the presence of hydrogen embrittlement. Greenslade Fastener Test Plates are stocked for imme- diate shipment. They meet the following requirements: + ANSI B18.6.4, B18.6.5M + DIN 7500-1, 7513, 7516 + FIP-1000.1 ~.7 + Ford ES-MIA160-A, ES-20003-$1000 += GM 6010M, 617M, 6171M * ISO 2702 © HS 1055 + SAE J81, J478a, 1993, J1237 All test plates come with Certificates of Quality at no extra charge. ne Untapped Test Plate Specifications HARDNESS: RB 70-85 LENGTH: 6 inches WIDTH: 2 inches SHEET METAL SCREWS (TYPES A, AB, and B) HOLE SIZE: +/- 001 SIZE THICKNESS HOLESIZE #HOLES | NEW# 2 050-046, 076 2 TP.02 3 080-046, 81 2 7.03 4 050-046, 086 32 TP.04 5 050-046 1065 32 TP-05 6 077-073 116 2 1-06 7 077-073 1285 52 TP.o7 8 077-073 136 2 TP.08 9 077-073 149 32 1-09 10 127=.123 2 TP-10 BR 127-1123 38 Tez 4 127-1123 38 41905-1848 38 sn6 7 38 v7 THREAD CUTTING SCREWS (TYPES F, 1, and 23) THICKNESS HOLE SIZE #HOLES |NEW# (080-076 073 52 TPT-0256 096-.092, 081 52 TPT-0348 111-107, 096, 52 TRT-0440, 111-109 lor ‘TPT-0540 1425-1385 120 52 TPT-0632 137 52. TPT-0832 11905-.1845 173 52 TPT-1024 1905-1845 177 52 TPT: 1032, 1905-1845 199 38 TPT-1204 38 38 3155-3095 7 3155-2095 7 378-372 7 478-372 7 040-076, (096-,092 TPT-Mo2.5 11-107 TPT-MO3 1425-138, TPT-MO3.S 1425-138, 1905-184 253-247 TPT-MOS, 3157-3094 TPT-MOB 3779-3717 TPT-MIOTHREAD ROLLING SCREWS (TYPES TT, SF, ETC.) SIZE THICKNESS 286 127-193 38 1127-133, 127-1123 127-1123 137-1123 1908-1845 1905-1845 1905-1845 3175-3075 3175=.3075 380-370) 4425-8325 505-495 M2 133-118 MIs 1133-118 MB 133-0118 BBs 133g Mi 2165-1969 MS 3 M6} MB 338 Mio 4210-3937 Miz 500-8724 HOLE SIZE 75 087 098 10 #HOLES 32 32 32 3 32 2 32 32 38 38 News TPR0256 TPR-0348, TPR-0440 TPR-0540 ‘TPR-0632 ‘TPR-0832, TPR-1028 TPR-10: TPR-1224, TPR-2520 TPR-2528, TPR-3118 TPR-3124, TPRATI PRS TPR-5013, TPR-MO2 TPR-MO2.S TPR-MO3 TPR-MO3.5 ‘TPR-Mo4a ‘TPR-MOS VLLLLE SECTIONAL View OF Test PLATE DAMAGED, DEFORMED THREADS: Ey FALL. FLAT WASHER. MAJOR DIAMETER HS ass THROUGH Hydrogen Embrittlement Test Plates for Bolts and Machine Screws TAPPED AND HARDENED TEST PLATE, SPECIFICATIONS DIMENSIONS #HOLES NEW PART# 2x65 3/16 38 “TPHE-0256 2x6x 3/16 38 440 2x6x 14 38 0632 Bx6x Ib 38 0832 2x6x 5/16 38 1024 2x6x 5/16 38 1032 2x6x 5/16 7 $ 2x6x 3/8 7 2x6x 3/8 0 2528 2x6x 3/8 0 Sus 2x6x 3/8 0 3124 2x6x 38 0 3716 2x6x 3/8 0 3724 4x6x 34 24 4314 4x6x 3/4 24 AxGx 3/4 2 5013, 4x65 34 24 5020 4x6x 1 15 E-5612 4x64 1° 15 TPHE-53618 4x6x 1" 5 ‘TPHE-6211 Ax6x 1° ‘3 TPHE-6218 4x6x 14 15 “TPHE-7510 4x6x L1i4 i TPHE-7516 METRIC TAPPED TEST PLATE SPECIFICATIONS SIZE DIMENSIONS —-#HOL NEW PART # M2Se045 — 2x6x 16 38 ‘TPHE-M02504 MM3x0.5 2x6x Va 38 TPHE-M0305 M3.5x0.6 2xbx Uh a8 TPHE-M03506 M4x0.7 2x6x Ut 38 TPHE-MO407 MSx0.8 26x 5/16 "7 TPHE-MO508 Méx 1.0 2xbx 8 0 TPHE-MO610 Maso 2xbx 8 fo TPHE-MO810 MBs1.25 2n6n 3/8 TPHE-MO8 MUOxL2S xox 3/4 24 ‘TPHE-M1012: Miox3 sx6x 3h 24 TPHE-M101 xx Mt 4 TPHE-MI2125, 4x6x 3/6 2 TPHE-M 12195 MUdKLS 4x6x 1 Is TPHE-M1415 Midx2.0 Ax6x 1 re TPHE-M1220 Mi6xt axox 1-1/4 is TPHE-M1615 MI6x2.0 4x65 1-10 ' TPHE-M1620 MisxL.s 4x6x 1-174 1 TPHE-M 1815 Mi8x20 axox LU i ‘TPHE-M 1820Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About... Testing and Inspecting High Performance Thread Rolling Screws By Joe Greenslade High performance thread rolling screws began to be marketed about twenty years ago. They were developed to improve the performance and inerease the versatility of the self tapping screws used in industry up until that time. The original self tapping screws were Types A, AB, B and C for thread forming and Types 1, 23 and 25 for thread cutting. ‘A. common characteristic of high performance thread rolling screws is that they all form their mating threads similarly to the ‘Types A, AB, B and C except that they were designed for multiple thread engagement in metal, e their predecessors. Types A. B, and AB usually ed a single thread engagement in metal. Previously, self tapping fasteners used for multiple thread engage- ment in metal were Types 1 and 23 which cut their mat- cls instead of forming them. igh performance thread rolling screws formed r mating threads and provided a multiple thread engagement they opened the realm of self tapping applications immensely where previous designs cither stripped out too easily, required too much driving force and/or could not be used because the presence of chips in the final assembly was unacceptable. The best known of these high performance thread rolling screws are the “Swageform” screws developed by Parker-Kalon, now a division of Black and Decker, and the ‘Taptite” screws developed by Research Engi neering and Manufacturing Company, formerly a part of the Continental Screw Company. These products have gained particularly wide acceptance in the auto- motive, appliance, electronics, and telecommunications ipment industries. s article will cover frequently asked questions about the testing, inspecting and applying of these products. Question — What specifications should be used in ordering and/or inspecting high perfor- mance thread rolling screws? An The specification which should be referred to unless otherwise designated is S.A.E.-J81 (lune 79). Prior to the publi- cation of this specification the LEL-112 was the most widely used. This specific tion was withdrawn after the S.A-E.J81 was issued. Other applicable specifica- tions are GM 6171M and Ford Motor ES- 20003-5100. We produced the FIP-1000 in 1987 to provide clearer explanations of the test procedures. This is a composite of the other specifications with many helpful illustrations Question — Do all of these speci- fications agree with one another? ‘Answer — No. They are. very similar but some are more thorough than others. They require a little more testing, which we feel is important. Question — What are the com- mon test requirements for these types of types of fasteners? Answer —The e most common tests are: 4, Tensile Strength 5. Hydrogen Embrittlement The S.A.E and Ford Motor specifica tions additionally requires that hex and hex washer head screws be tested for Proof Torque, and Torque-To-Clamp Load. Continued on page 16 American Fastener Journal Jan/Feb, 1990 15H.P. Thread Rolling Screws (Conia from page 15) Question — What do each of these tests tell you about these fasteners and how are the tests done? Answer — The tests tell you several things about the fasteners as follows: Duetility This test tells you that if the parts pass. you will probably not experience heads popping off at the time of assembly due to the case hardness being too deep, the core hardness too high, the recess too deep, or the thread too close to the head. The test is simple and Figure 1. pro- vides a graphic illustration, It is easy to interpret and shoutd be the first to be per- formed. If the parts fail this test they should be rejected and no more tests are needed. To test for ductility, parts are placed into a hole slightly larger than the thread diameter with an angle of 5, 7, or 10 degrees on the top of the test block, depending on which specification you fol low. Our experience has led us to recom- mend that a 10 degree angle be used all the time. After the screw is placed in the angled test block itis struck firmly on the top of its head with a hammer until the underside of the serew head confarms to Interpretation is easy. If the screw head comes off completely it should be rej ed If it stays intact and even if a crack is visible the parts are acceptable. Eight ran- domly selected samples from a homoge- nous lot of up to 250,000 pieces are usually sufficient to detect a problem. ‘Torsional Strength If the parts pass, this test tells you that the core hardness is sufficient to’ provide the serew with adequate strength 10 resist twisting in two during screw installation in the application, ‘This test (see Figure 2.) is performed by ga) Soe + bucTILiTy Test Figure 1. 16 ‘clamping the screws threads into a split threaded collet which in tum is held in a screw torsional testing. fixture. A driving tool is then engaged with the serew's head and the screw is twisted with a torque wrench. IF the torque required to twist the serew in two is greater than al PONE SS Dy meses toe E = eo the listed minimum | rea rercow smeeneresien ERS torsional strength the TORSIONAL STRENGTH TEST paris pass. Bight randomly selected parts from a homogenous lot of up to 250,000 pieces are usually sufficient for testing. ‘Two common testing problems which frequently result in incorrect test results are (1) when the threads are clamped in vise instead of threaded split collets, tear- ing the threads and (2) not using the cor- rect testing fixture when testing Phillips, slotted and other recessed head designs. If suppliers and users do not use the same testing apparatus disagreements about test resulls ¢an and do occur. Drive and Drive Torque Test ‘These are actually two tests in one pro- cedure, First it shows that the parts ean be driven into an application without the requirement of excessive instal torque and second, that the harde adequate to form threads in a mating part without the screw threads being deformed. ‘The procedure (see Figure 3. on page 00) is to drive the screws test plate having the hole size, thickness, and hardness designated in the specifica tions. The highest torque required to drive them into the plate must not exceed the specification’s maximum allowable value and the threads must not show signs of breakdown or deformation after having penetrated the plate. “To obtain accurate drive torque results when test ing slotted, Phillips, and other recessed head screws you must use the torsional strength testing fixture with a test plate holding adaptor. Other- wise the driving tool ean not be kept engaged prop- erly in the screw’s recess to accurately measure the drive torque, If the screws are “plain -t fr : American Fastener Journal Jan{Feb, 1990 ure 2, . finish” itis generally acceptable to apply a light oil to the screws for lubricity before testing to simulate the finish to be applied, Otherwise, it is very common for the ids to collapse due strictly to the fric~ in driving. Eight randomly selected screws from a homogenous lot of up to 250,000 pieces is usually an adequate test lot size, ‘ensile Strength ‘This test indicates if a part has the abil ty to hold a minimum axial load in it’s intended appli and Ford Motor only require this test on hex and hex washer head screws which are the longer of either 1/2 inch or 3 times the basic diameter, General Motors requires it on all screws 3 times the basic diameter and longer. ‘The parts are to be assembled in tooling, in a tensile testing machine with 6 threads exposed, The axial load is to be applied at a free crosshead speed not to exceed | inch per minute until the part fails. Its ult mate tensile strength must exceed the min- imum value listed in the specifications. Hydrogen Embrittlement This test should be performed on all high performance thread rolling screws which are electroplated, This test will pro- vide confidence that del probably not occur. There are many mis- understandings about these failures. Fr quently people assume that failures at the ime of assembly are related to hydrogen ‘embrittlement, This is not the case. ‘These failures are generally problems of the screw’s hardness resulting in brittleness or softness or very frequently it is actually a problem of an incorrect mating part hole size. Hydrogen embrittlement failures are always associated with “after assembly Comtinuect on page 32H.P. Thread Rolling Screws (Continued from pag failures. These can show up as soon as 5 minutes after assembly up to 24 hours later. Some cases have occurred after an even longer period of time, but most fail- ures result within 24 hours after assembly. ‘There are two common procedures: 1, Seat screws in a pretapped hardened test plate at minimum values specified 16) in the specification. Let the paris set 24 hours and retighten them to the spe. fied values. If any heads break off the parts fail. 2. Drive the parts into untapped test plates. This is actually a continuation of the “Drive and Drive Torque” tests, Je five parts to complete failure. the five values and seat eight more parts at 80% of that average fail- ure value, Let the parts sit 24 hours and retighten to that previously calculated seating value. Any failure should be considered a reje We recommend the second test proce- dure because it compensates for the differ- ences in lubricity, thread size, hole size etc. for the particular lot of screws tested and since it is a continuation of other tests it makes testing more efficient. Figure 4. pro- vides further clarifica- tion and specifications. In all cases. washers should be used under the heads of the screws to eliminate the possibility of damaging the screw's head to. shank radius ‘which will result in exro- neous failures. This approach also simulates the actual use of the parts. Any washer will do as long as all of the TORQUE WRENCH rar ie yaon omneren OSE PAS Trnoun DRIVE TORQUE TEST washers used in one test the same type but because split lock washers are hardened ‘we recommend their use in most cases. Question — Are the test plate hole sizes those recommended for use in applications? Answer — Absolutely not! The test plate hole sizes in the specifications represent extremely severe applications. If parts pass the fests with these plates they pro- Thread Rolling Screws = Inch — ana ‘oAWE TORGUE TYOROGEN jronstowa | rest pLates (98 7088) | phos ¢ OF EMBRITTLEMENT ucTurry | STRENGTH Thickness | Hele Se | cad | Zhe TORQUE sizes derees | wins | ieMGoe | ‘re oot_| toc | ttn tot a0 | wo | es or cae | 128 2 see wae | % ‘575 2 ina | 10 we | a0 20 sae | 0 o_| ms 0 aegis] ose | ae soe ute and record all 5 torque values. 2. Add the 5 values and mul ening Torque.” Hydrogen Embrittiement Test {All Electroplated Tapping Screws) 41. Seat § serews with flat washers under head into the correct test plate to screw fail- ly the sum by .16 (16%0 to determine the “Test Tight- 3. Using 8 more screws from the same lot, seat them with flal washers under head into the same test plate to the “Test Tightening Torque" and allow to sit 24 hours. 4, After 24 hours retighten to same value as in Step #3. If any parts fall during the 24 hour period or when retightening the lot is rejectable. Material and Heat Treat Materia Case Hardness Core Hardness ate Dopih (Cold Heading Qualiy Killed Sto! Wiro FIC 48 min, C2898 ———#2through #8 002-007 0.13%—-0.27% Carbon. 87 trough #12 004-008 68%. 71% Manganese ‘a and laiger 006-011 January 1987 Figure 4, 32. American Fastener Journal Jan/Feb, 1990 Figure 3 vide assurance of performance in the intended application. The sales literature of various manufac turers of these fasteners provides guidance for application hole sizes. You have to be careful in this area to check recommended hole sizes before specifying the hole size in the application and take care before substituting one thread rolling screw design for another, because different serew designs recommend the use of dif- ferent hole sizes. Question — Are there recom- mended seating values for high performance thread rolling screws in various assembly appl cations? Answer — No. Many users erroneously confuse testing torque values with applica- tions values. Each application is a little different than another. Each application should be tested to determine suitable tightening torque values. ‘This can be done by experimenting the hole size in the actual assembly com- ponents. You should drill a series of pro- gressively larger sizes to find the size which results in the greatest total differ- ence in torque values between the value required to drive the screws into the assembly and the minimum torque value required to fail the assembly in any way. This simple procedure will help you find the best hole size. After determining that best hole size, you can establish the ree- ommended tightening value at approxi- mately 60% to 70% of that minimum failure value. The only thing to be careful of is to make e value always exceeds the hi ing torque you observed when driving into that hole size to insure that all fasteners will be seated. Continued on page 37