Sleeve Anchor Bolts and Their Common Uses

March 8, 2017

Inserted into a predrilled surface, the jacket of a sleeve anchor bolt expands as it is tightened. In order to properly employ one of these self-locking fasteners, it needs that predrilled hole, an opening that's slightly wider than the diameter of the sleeve. Then, if the locking action is to endure, the expanding outer segment requires a hardened surface to close against, such as concrete, brick, or a dense block base.

Identifying Sleeved Characteristics

The locking section runs the length of the threaded bolt. It looks like a cylindrical wrapping. Most of that cylindrical outline doesn't touch the threaded bolt. The exception to this rule is found at its farthest end. It's here that the bolt and sleeve threads make contact. A twist of the bolt head is then enough to contract this threaded section. It's pulled towards the head by the screwing action, up until the intervening cylindrical sections are forced to expand.

Mechanically Dynamic

The expanding jacket section plays the role of an anchoring mechanism. It's a job we'd do ourselves, but there's no way to hold a nut in place when a bolt is inserted into a thick wall. That's a job for a self-locking fastener, and the sleeve anchor family represents the best of this anchoring type. Yes, there's still no way to hold a separate nut in place, but the sleeve is achieving this same holding action by employing the hole-material as a locking aid. The bending sleeve simply digs into that hard material until the entire bolt is anchored.

Common Sleeve Bolt Applications

A featureless concrete structure requires its fittings, so sleeve anchor bolts are unboxed. They're used on concrete plinths and platforms to support the metal linkages that host pipeline fixtures and man-sized valves. Electrical cable runs, as supported by cable trays and steel conduits, use mild steel variants instead of the heavy-duty type. Then, on the masonry side of this study, light-duty fasteners take over, with their thinner but just as capable jackets reliably supporting structurally-rated building assemblies.

Structural concrete, the kind used as a floor or wall for huge mechanical machines, is an extremely dense material. Hammer drills and unwieldy vibrating tools are required to make any impact on this material. Once equipped with a series of drill holes, though, the sleeve anchor bolts slip in, tighten easily, and produce a dependable anchoring effect. This heavy-duty usage area extends downwards to include lighter applications, instances that include masonry-related projects and light construction work.

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