Abstract
A bolt heater is frequently applied to tighten large and critical structures with large bolts that cannot be clamped by any other means. In addition, multiple bolts can be tightened simultaneously by using the same number of bolt heaters. When bolt heaters are used for tightening large bolts, they are usually placed vertically because the target bolts are installed in the same vertical direction. In this study, the applicability of horizontally plated bolt heaters is examined to promote its broader use. It is found from tightening experiments that the bolt heater technique can be applied for bolts placed horizontally or on an inclined plane. Based on the experimental results, a guideline is proposed for the cases of bolt heaters used in the above-mentioned manner. It is also shown that the bolt heater technique can be an effective assisting method to JIS B2251, “Bolt tightening procedure for pressure boundary flanged joint assembly”.
