Weld studs (GOST)

Weld studs

A weld stud is a fastener for high-strength connections in heavily loaded structures. It is a cylindrical rod with external or internal thread, or without thread. The stud is attached to a metal surface by capacitor discharge or arc welding. This method of creating strong joints has a wide range of applications:

• Fastening to thin sheet metal from 0.6 mm thick;
• Access to the surface is required from only one side;
• Capacitor discharge welding of the stud provides increased attachment strength;
• Capacitor discharge welding time does not exceed a few milliseconds, so the part does not deform;
• No welding marks are left on the front or back side of the metal sheet;
• Welding is fast, which allows for automated production lines;
• Various combinations of metals are possible when welding studs; aluminium is welded only to aluminium;
• Capacitor discharge welding has a low environmental impact.

Weld studs create a strong joint and are used in heavy industry, construction, medical equipment manufacturing, the automotive industry, and in building rapid-erection metal structures and billboards. Threaded weld studs are used for mounting attachment hardware, electrical components, nameplates, doors and covers.

Types of weld studs

Weld studs are classified by welding method and thread type. The main types are (the accepted stud designation is given in brackets):

• For arc welding:

• stud with thread (PD)

• stud with thread and reduced shank (RD)

• stud without thread (UD)

• stud with internal thread (ID)

• stop stud (SD)

• For capacitor discharge welding with drawn-arc ignition:

• stud with thread and flange (PS)

• stud without thread (US)

• stud with internal thread (IS)

• For capacitor discharge welding with tip ignition (melting of the stud end):

• stud with thread (PT)

• stud without thread (UT)

• stud with internal thread (IT)

Materials and manufacturing standards

Weld studs are manufactured to the German standard DIN 32501. Most commonly produced are items with thread diameters M3, M4, M5, M6, M8, with bolt lengths from 6 to 60 mm. The fasteners are used in conditions of humidity and temperature fluctuations and come into contact with aggressive environments, so they are made from corrosion-resistant (stainless) and cold-resistant materials, including ferrous metals. The production method is cold forming to the BS EN ISO 13918 standard.

The end of the stud carries an aluminium ball or a weld coating. The exception is studs made of stainless steel or with a diameter over 10 mm, which are welded using inert gas.

Main materials:

• Carbon steel of property class 4.8. This steel is used, for example, to make copper-plated weld studs with external thread.
• Stainless steel A2, A4, A5. Permitted for manufacturing RD, UD and ID studs.
• For stop studs, steel with restricted composition is used: carbon content must not exceed 0.2%, aluminium — 0.02%, silicon — 0.6%.
• Stainless weld studs without thread are made from stainless steel A2-50 or property class 4.8.
• Studs for capacitor discharge welding with tip melting are produced from L63 brass, 4.8 and A2-50 steel, commercially pure aluminium grade AD0, and AMG3 corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy. Aluminium weld studs belong to this category.

The Russian standard for manufacturing weld studs is GOST 55738, which is similar, with some modifications, to ISO 13918.

Example product specification: a copper-plated stainless steel stud for CD capacitor discharge welding is manufactured to DIN 32501, which corresponds to GOST R 55738-2013 and ISO 13918:2008, from A2-type steel with electroplated copper coating.

About FLOK

FLOK has been in operation since 2006 and supplies fasteners and hardware made from various materials, including ferrous metals, with various coatings. The company supplies fasteners to industrial enterprises in Russia and the CIS.

Advantages:

• Compliance with manufacturing standards. Quality control of shipped products is carried out in mini-laboratories at each warehouse.
• Specialists with technical education.
• Documented logistics: cargo location is tracked at every stage of delivery.

FLOK manufactures fasteners to customer drawings, samples and technical specifications, including steel weld studs with any coating, weld grounding bolts and weld studs for ferrous metal. The production facility is equipped with high-precision machines, quality is controlled at every stage, and additional product testing is carried out when necessary. Items within a single batch conform to the drawing and require no rework.

How to order and buy

The site catalogue features filters and search by name, GOST and other standards. An online fastener weight calculator is available for order calculations.

To order fasteners, fill out the form via the “Send Request” button — a manager will confirm product availability and help with your selection or custom production to drawing. You can also call the toll-free number or request a callback on the website. Products can be selected in the catalogue and added to the cart.

The company’s offices are located in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Perm, with a branch in Kazakhstan. Delivery is carried out across Russia and CIS countries.