SIROCO is an EU funded project under the Research Fund for Coal and Steel. The first reports from the SIROCO project have now been published in Steel Construction Magazine
Slip-resistant connections with carbon steel bolts have long been used for structural connections that are subject to alternate loading and/or fatigue e.g. bridges, wind turbines, etc. From a bolting perspective, high pre-loads and reliable friction coefficients are key aspects of delivering this functionality. For carbon steel bolted connections, design guidance is provided under EN 1090-2. However, for stainless steel bolted connections, no standard currently exists. Part of the SIROCO project aims to address this gap, by developing knowledge and moving towards a design standard that will also incorporate criteria for the design of slip-resistant connections using pre-loaded stainless steel bolts.
BUMAX AB’s involvement included technical input, working alongside other project partners such as The Steel Construction Institute, Outokumpu Stainless and several leading European research institutions. In addition, all testing was carried out using the BUMAX product range BUMAX 88 & 109 (A4/316L), BUMAX® LDX (Lean Duplex), BUMAX® DX 109 (Duplex), BUMAX® SDX 109 (Super Duplex).