Attaching Steel to Steel without Welding or Bolting? 2

[Revv]

Hey Guys,

So basically I have an application of trying to connect a 1/2" thick steel plate to a 1/4" thick steel plate. Can I use screws here? Or is there a better fastener besides welding/bolting? I need something small with minimum profile.

Thanks!

 

[Tomfh]

What sort of load?

Tek screws can work, but you’ll likely need to pre drill or the screws will break

 

[Ron]

Not only do we need to know the load, but what mode (shear, tension, cyclic, etc). If load is low, adhesives might be an option.

 

[driftLimiter]

It isn't cheap but you can counter sink a hole, use a flathead bolt and thread the other plate.

 

[Revv]

@Tomfh @ron very low loads. They will see more tension than shear but it's very small( 100 plf of tension on the plate or less).

 

[Tomfh]

Screws, or possibly adhesive like Ron mentioned.

Drift’s method would give a nice result, but is more work.

A lot depends on the application

 

[GeorgeTheCivilEngineer]

Clamps are an option.

Lindapter is the best known.

 

[dik]

I like Ron's idea of adhesive. The area is great for better shear resistance. It might take a lot of little screws to develop the shear at the interface.

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Do you feel any better?

-Dik

 

[dvd]

Twenty questions game -

 

[le99]

For indoor application, every method stated above is fine if not near a heating source.

 

[MotorCity]

Adhesives peaked by curiosity. I have never used or considered adhesives in a structural application (if this qualifies as one) for steel to steel contact. What is the go-to product for this?

 

[IRstuff]

3M VHB-class double-sided acrylic adhesives are pretty darn strong. Many, if not most, car windshields are attached with double-sided tape.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[Rabbit12]

JB Weld

 

[TugboatEng]

Belzona has quite a few examples of plate bonding in their knowledge base.

https://khia.belzona.com/en/view.aspx?id=6372

They are using mostly metal filled epoxies but acrylic epoxies are also well suited and more tolerant of field conditions.

I use adhesive mount fasteners from Click Bond, their adhesive is acrylic.

 

[Scuka]

You can hire a person to hold the two plates together.

You can tie them together with rope.

You can mill out a chamber in one of them and create a vacuum inside.

You can mill out a dovetail joint.

You can use magnets.

...

How many useless answers do you want to hear before you give some relevant information so people can answer the question properly?

 

[BridgeSmith]

Are the plates the same size in both directions? Do they have to be?

Rod Smith, P.E., The artist formerly known as HotRod10