Not all bolts are the same. While they are all fasteners with external threading, there are different types of bolts. In addition to standard bolts, there are huck bolts. Huck bolts are commonly used in aerospace manufacturing applications. When compared to standard bolts, they offer a higher level of protection against loosening by resisting vibrations. What are huck bolts, and how do they differ from standard bolts?
What Are Huck Bolts?
Huck bolts are threaded fasteners consisting of a pin and collar. The pin is the shank-like portion of a huck bolt that features external threading. The collar, on the other hand, is the top part of a huck bolt that wraps around the top of the pin.
All huck bolts consist of these two parts. They have a pin and an integrated collar. You can see an example of a huck bolt in the photo above. The pin is the threaded portion at the bottom, and the collar is the unthreaded portion at the top.
How Huck Bolts Differ From Standard Bolts
While huck bolts consist of two parts, standard bolts consist of a single part. Standard bolts are threaded fasteners that are made of a single and solid piece of material. They don’t have a pin, nor do they have a collar. Instead, standard bolts consist entirely of a single part that features the necessary external threading as well as a head.
Huck bolts are also installed differently than standard bolts. You can install a standard bolt using a wrench or screwdriver. Hex bolts will typically require a wrench, whereas bolts with a recessed head require a screwdriver. Regardless, you can install a standard bolt by twisting the head with the appropriate tool.
To install a huck bolt, you’ll need to use a special tool known as a huck gun. A huck gun will force the material of the collar to wrap around the bottom part of the pin. Huck bolts are twisted into a precut hole. Once in place, a huck gun is used to secure the huck bolts in place.
Huck bolts are better protected against loosening — particularly loosening caused by vibrations — than standard bolts. When installed with a huck gun, huck bolts have a swaged collar. The bottom part of the pin will essentially protrude around the underside of the material into which the huck bolt is installed. This swaged collar will protect the huck bolt from loosening.
