Barrel nut
Encyclopedia
A sex bolt, also known as a barrel nut, barrel bolt, Chicago screw or post and screw, is a type of fastener
(nut
) which has a barrel-shaped flange
and protruding boss
that is internally thread
ed. The boss sits within the components being fastened, and the flange provides the bearing surface. The sex bolt and accompanying machine screw 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 barrels to allow one-sided assembly. Binding posts are similar to architectural bolts in that they are designed to be assembled from one side, but they have teeth on the flanged surface to keep them fixed. They were originally designed for the printing industry to bind large catalogs together.
Fastener
A fastener is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together.Fasteners can also be used to close a container such as a bag, a box, or an envelope; or they may involve keeping together the sides of an opening of flexible material, attaching a lid to a container,...
(nut
Nut (hardware)
A nut is a type of hardware fastener with a threaded hole. Nuts are almost always used opposite a mating bolt to fasten a stack of parts together. The two partners are kept together by a combination of their threads' friction, a slight stretch of the bolt, and compression of the parts...
) which has a barrel-shaped flange
Flange
A flange is an external or internal ridge, or rim , for strength, as the flange of an iron beam such as an I-beam or a T-beam; or for attachment to another object, as the flange on the end of a pipe, steam cylinder, etc., or on the lens mount of a camera; or for a flange of a rail car or tram wheel...
and protruding boss
Boss (engineering)
In engineering, a boss is a protruding feature on a workpiece.A common use for a boss is to locate one object within a pocket or hole of another object...
that is internally thread
Screw thread
A screw thread, often shortened to thread, is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix, with the former being called a straight thread and the latter called a tapered thread...
ed. The boss sits within the components being fastened, and the flange provides the bearing surface. The sex bolt and accompanying machine screw 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
Slot
Slot may refer to:* A narrow opening through which an object can pass, for example in a:** Vending machine slot** Slot machine, a type of casino game* Slot, a space for a container on a ship, usually expressed as a 20' or 40' slot Slot may refer to:* A narrow opening through which an object can...
, to aid in tightening the fastener. Some sex bolts, more commonly known as architectural bolts, have knurled barrels to allow one-sided assembly. Binding posts are similar to architectural bolts in that they are designed to be assembled from one side, but they have teeth on the flanged surface to keep them fixed. They were originally designed for the printing industry to bind large catalogs together.