A Twist-In T-Bolt Company

Hi, my name is Steve Chatfield, I have over 40 years experience in engineering & design, 35 of which are in the rail industry (Electrical Installation) working in a lead role at many different companies on many different new build projects and modifications to old rolling stock projects.

Recently whilst working on a Class 168/3 Underframe installing some additional cable support brackets, pipework brackets and earth studs, we had a requirement for a T-Bolt that could be inserted into the 19mm C-Slot on the Underframe of the train without the need to remove equipment already using the C-Slot. Seeing there was no good existing solution for this, I identified there is a gap in the market and so designed the perfect T-Bolt for this application.

As the T-Bolts are cold forged, most of the initial manufacturing cost is for tooling, there really is an ‘economy of scale’, so at the moment the range is small, ie only 4 sizes of size M10 T-Bolts (18, 20, 22 & 24) with a stud length of 32mm, but this range could grow if there is a need for other sizes.

See the Size 18 M10 T-Bolts in their first stage of production below…..they enter this machine as a diameter 10mm rod, and come out as the basic T-Bolt shape………….then each one is trimmed and threaded, then off for heat treatment and zinc plating.

We did some torque testing on a sample of T-Bolts, they all failed at around 100Nm of force, well past the recommended 55Nm torque setting.