Threaded Fasteners: Grabber Zinc-plated Drill-point Framing Fasteners

Zinc-plated drill-point framing fasteners manufactured by Grabber Construction Products meet the toughest industry requirements in order to mitigate hydrogen embrittlement and other hazards.

"You can reduce costs by running your dies a little longer, loading your heat-treat belt a little higher, and shortening or eliminating your post-plating baking time," commented Jack Kroll, president and CEO of Grabber. "But while the first two shortcuts primarily only affect the dimensional and mechanical performance of the fasteners, all three can lead to actual product failures."

This is because roll forming, heat treating, and post-plating baking are all critical to minimizing I.H.E. (internal hydrogen embrittlement), H.E.A.C. (hydrogen environment assisted cracking), and H.A.S.C.C. (hydrogen assisted stress corrosion cracking).

The manufacturing process of selfdrilling fasteners results in multiple opportunities for hydrogen to be introduced during electroplating and cold working, and hydrogen can also migrate through stress cracks during post-installation of poorly formed, overstressed, or inconsistently treated fasteners.

Grabber’s 10, 12 and 14 gauge zinc-plated drill point fasteners are manufactured in ISO 9002 factories, plated as prescribed in the ASTM F1941-10 Standard Specification for Electrodeposited Coatings on Threaded Fasteners, and post-plating baked according to the process articulated in SAE AMS 2759/9, Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief (Baking) of Steel Parts, Section 3.3.3.1, and SAE J78. This calls calls for a four-hour minimum time (the duration between the end of acid exposure and the beginning of the heating cycle in the baking furnace) for baking out entrapped hydrogen after acid treating the parts. The baking process may take from 3 to 23 hours at 375° to 425°, depending on the materials used and the platings or finishes applied.

Grabber's 10, 12 and 14 gauge drill point fasteners are also tested for hydrogen embrittlement by benchmarks outlined in ASME B18.6.4, section 2.9.1.4, Hydrogen Embrittlement Test, and the SAE J78 4.4.1 Hydrogen Embrittlement Test Criteria, under protocols articulated in ASME B18.18.2 Inspection and Quality Assurance for High-Volume Machine Assembly Fasteners.

Kroll concludes, "Like all of Grabber's products, DRIVAL fasteners are specifically designed and processed to provide the professional contractor with products built to deliver maximum performance."

For more information about hydrogen embrittlement and Grabber screws, please visit
www.grabberman.com or call 800-477-TURN (8876).