Following a rigorous testing programme, as a result of enquiries from wind turbine manufacturers seeking cost-effective, maintenance-free alternatives to nut and bolt fastening solutions, the Huck® BobTail® lockbolt fastener from Alcoa Fastening Systems (AFS) has earned the prestigious German national technical approval, otherwise known as, allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Zulassungen (abZ). The accreditation was awarded by internationally recognised approval body Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt).
Declared by DIBt as ‘maintenance free’, the 12, 14, 16, 20mm and 1inch diameter BobTail is now approved to be used in both static and dynamic civil engineering applications. The test results met DIN EN 1993 (EURO Code 3 – Design of Steel Structures), and DIN 18800-1 (Steel Structures – Design and Construction) and BSEN 1090 (Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures) standards. The coating; resistant to ISO 12944 standard and chrome 6 free; was also found to retain its integrity as there is no exposed area after the fastener is installed. (…)
