A sex bolt is a type of mating

fastener A fastener (US English) or fastening (UK English) is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. In general, fasteners are used to create non-permanent joints; that is, joints that can be removed or disman ...

(

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

) that has a barrel-shaped

flange A flange is a protruded ridge, lip or rim (wheel), rim, either external or internal, that serves to increase shear strength, strength (as the flange of an iron beam (structure), beam such as an I-beam or a T-beam); for easy attachment/transfer of ...

and protruding

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

that is internally threaded. The bolts sits within the components being fastened, the flange provides the bearing surface. The sex bolt and accompanying

machine screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

sit flush on either side of the surfaces being fastened. It is normally chosen because of its low profile compared to other nuts. The sex bolt often has a built-in feature, such as a slot, to aid in tightening the fastener. Some sex bolts, more commonly known as "architectural bolts", have

knurled Knurling is a manufacturing process, typically conducted on a lathe, whereby a pattern of straight, angled or crossed lines is rolled into the material. Etymology The terms ''knurl'' and ''knurled'' are from an earlier ''knur'' ‘knot in wo ...

barrels to allow one-sided assembly. The sex bolt consists of a female (internally) threaded barrel (nut) and a male (externally) threaded screw. Both the barrel and screw have heads designed to clamp (bind) material between the head of the barrel and the head of the screw, or to bridge the gap between two parts. Other names for sex bolts include ''binding barrels'', ''Chicago screws'', and ''connector bolts''. Typical catalogue page. Applications vary widely from book binding to installing bathroom partitions. This group of fasteners are used to assemble fitness apparatus, solar panels, playground equipment, railing systems, furniture, athletic helmets, knives, store fixtures, signs, panic bars, and many other products. Technical guide to mating fasteners: ; Barrel diameter: mating fasteners often are going through pre-drilled holes. The barrel diameter should be slightly less than the installation hole. ; Barrel length: the barrel length is measured from underneath the head to the end of the barrel. Normally the length of the barrel is shorter than the thickness of the material being clamped. Another common term is "grip length", which is the thickness of the material that a mating bolt can effectively fasten or clamp. ; Thread size: length and thread class fit for both barrel and screw. The more thread depth, the more difficult these parts are to manufacture, and the more expensive. ; Head style: the most common head style for a mating fastener is a "truss" head. Other head styles are button, flat, grommet, hex head, large truss, low profile, oval, rivet and T-head. ; Drive systems: mating fasteners are available in a variety of drives such as slotted, socket, Phillips, combination Phillips/slotted, as well as tamper-resistant drives: one way, 6-lobe with pin and drilled spanner. ; Material and finish: mating fasteners are available in aluminium, steel, brass, copper, stainless steel and plastic materials. Barrels and screws are available anodized, zinc-plated, brass-plated, chrome-plated, bronze-plated, nickel-plated and black-oxide finish.

References

{{Nuts (hardware) Nuts (hardware)