What is fastener strength and fastener hardness?

Many people consider strength and hardness to be the same characteristic. However, when it comes to fasteners, these two similar words describe very different attributes. Depending on which quality you require, your choice of fastener could vary.

Hardness

From a technical point of view, hardness refers to a material’s resistance to penetration by another material. For example, concrete is a hard material, however a drill bit is harder as it can penetrate it.

Strength

Strength refers to the extent that a material can withstand a force before it starts deforming or fracturing. The point where the material begins to permanently deform is known as the yield point.

Generally, if a fastener has good attributes in one area, it’s weak in the other. Hard fasteners are typically brittle and liable to fracture or be permanently distorted as soon as excess force that takes the stress beyond the yield point is applied. For example, a brick wall is hard, yet as soon as the yield point is exceeded, it begins to crack and is permanently distorted.

This principle works the other way, as a material that is strong is unlikely to be particularly hard. A good example is rubber which has good strength and can take a large amount of force without permanently distorting, yet is soft and can be easily penetrated by another material.

So what does this mean in terms of how this affects fastener selection? When considering what material you will employ for any given project, you need to consider the specific requirements and role of the fastener. If you need your fastener to resist any force and maintain its rigidity, hardness will be the key attribute,

Understanding the requirements of the project can allow your fastener provider to run the required calculations. Then he or she can suggest the most suitable material for your operation based on the likely stresses that will be encountered, along with the hardness and strength of the solutions available.

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Free CADs are available for most solutions, which you can download for free. You can also request free samples to ensure the solutions you’ve chosen are exactly what you need. If you’re not quite sure which product will work best for your application, our experts are always happy to advise you.

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Questions?

Email us at sales@essentracomponents.co.uk or speak to one of our experts for further information on the ideal solution for your application 0345 528 0474.