A stud bolt under torque isn’t just tightened—it’s preloaded. That preload is what holds the flange faces together under pressure and vibration. But the challenge comes when installers over-torque or under-torque the stud bolt. Too loose, and your gasket leaks. Too tight, and the bolt can creep or fail prematurely. The answer? Calibration, training, and properly lubricated threads.
During a critical flange assembly at a petrochemical site, we saw shear-off failures in over-tightened stud bolts. After switching to torque-calibrated tools, cleaning threads, and following a crisscross pattern, the failure rate dropped to zero. Proper torque of every stud bolt is not a suggestion—it’s a requirement for safe, reliable operation.
