Hackaday: They hold together everything from the most delicate watch to the largest bridge. The world is literally kept from coming apart by screws and bolts, and yet we don’t often give a thought to these mechanisms. Part of that is probably because we’ve gotten so good at making them that they’re seen as cheap commodities, but the physics and engineering behind the screw thread is interesting stuff.
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Screws, to me, have always been such a simple commodity. Even on estimation sheets, one rarely actually denotes how many screws will be needed, instead adding a five percent allowance onto the total cost for a structure. I never really thought of the value they hold in terms of construction and the amount of though that goes into such a simple device! Did you know that the most common thread profile is the simple V thread, with opposing faces of the thread forming an angle of 60°? I sure didn't! This thread angle is a compromise that balances efficiency, wear rate, strength, and the friction of the threads to ensure maximum utility from each screw. The V thread is like the jack of all trades among screws. For such a seemingly simple object, it sure is complex! I know I will definitely appreciate screws more from now on whenever I find myself using them.
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I love knowledge and technology that is so incredibly complicated, yet we use it every day without thinking about it. It just kind of shows you how far we as a society have really come. The simplicity of an inclined plane around a cylinder is rather elegant, yet the actual idea and principles behind it seem wild to comprehend. I have never really thought about how ubiquitous screw threading really is in this world, but it is true, every single aspect of our lives really does depend on this simple machine. This reminds me of the inner workings of a clock as well. The craziness of gears and cogs and everything that they are able to achieve is crazy, and the fact that we have been manufacturing and using these technologies for centuries is incredible to me. The amount of power or delicacy we are able to achieve through the wide range of things like screws and gears is really quite astounding.
This was a surprisingly thorough article that hold so much information. I didn’t know that ACME threads were especially good for high loads and I wish the article delved a little deeper into why, but it probably has to do with the fact that the grooves flatten on the inside and so are less likely to shear. I especially enjoyed watching the bolt making video especially since they are so much larger than what we normally use. The creation of the hex head with the hot-forging method was my favorite part. I also liked how they are all handmade using automated tools but not the giant conveyor belt type setups that most of these hot-its-made videos showcase. Over the summer I worked at a machine shop that makes similar gauges that they used to test the threads on these bolts, which was really fun to see. The summer has made everything that has to do with threads much more readily understandable.
Screws are an amazing use of simple machines. The strength that is inside of such a small piece of metal is absolutely incredible. One of the comments on the article said, “Somewhere an archeologist is digging up the first screw.” I’m curious to know when the first documented use of a screw was. I’d be interested in learning about the exact physics behind how the strength of a screw is calculated. For example, why is the angle of an ACME screw exactly 29 degrees? Is the strength very compromised if the angle is changed to 20 degrees or even 25? The process to make nuts seems particularly interesting because of how the threads have to end up on the inside which complicates things. Screws even more impressive because they are so versatile. The comparison that the article makes “They hold together everything from the most delicate watch to the largest bridge” really puts it into scale.
Screw threads are always a fun topic for me. The video was one of the better ones I have seen that help to explain the properties of screws. One of the exciting things that he talked about was the differences in thread pitch diameter and profile. The types of classes, one through three, and what they control with regards to bolt fit and mating hardware was more in-depth information than what I had heard before. Other than this being an informative read I think it was more a location of a cool resource to have access to information in many different things. This quickly lead down a rabbit hole that is not easy to pull oneself out of. In the end, i found this to be an excellent little informative article on the topic that helps to give some more basic understanding of the subject of screws and threads.
I'm gonna copy everyone else here and sing he praises of the screw thread as a multipurpose universal two-thing clamper-upper, Indeed it is a marvel of technology and a credit to the race of human kind and all than. But I have another reason to be grateful for screw threads; they introduced me to my new favourite YouTube channel, called ThisOldTony. The first video I watched of his was a half hour about turning screw threads on a metal lathe. What's even more surprising than how I managed to be captivated throughout, was how funny it was. I honestly had never even entertained thought of actually turning my own screw threads, and all of the little details to think about when doing it. He has another video of the same sort about gears, which is even more captivating than the last one. If you have a thirst for mahal working entertainment, I recommend ThisOldTony for all your strange metalworking and welding comedy needs.
I'm a sucker for underappreciated everyday things. Most notably, I think stairs are underappreciated. They are so incredibly useful, really smart, practical, can be beautiful, and terribly underappreciated. After reading this article, I can safely say I am not a fan of the underappreciated screw/bolt. It really is something we take advantage of and is "actually" holding so much of this world together. There is also way more engineering that goes into how exactly threads should be then I realized. Also, any article with a how its made video (not the show, but the concept) is a winner in my book. Watching how Portland bolt takes steel and turns it into a 4' grade 36 bolt is pretty impressive. Now, I do not foresee ever needing to use a bolt like that, but if I do I know who to call. All in all, there are so many little things in this world that are vital but are underappreciated. I hope I am exposed to more things like this to add to my list along side stairs and now bolts.
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