These practical pieces of lifting hardware support hundreds - and sometimes even thousands - of pounds. They're used in almost every industry, where you'll find them in pulling, pushing, anchoring, or hoisting applications.
Imagine an ordinary bolt, but instead of having a hexagonal head, there's a circle at the top - an eye - through which you can put cables or ropes to support heavy loads. These bolts can be threaded through anything, just like a regular bolt, with the nut firmly threaded onto the other end.
Quick example you may have in your backyard: they're often used on a swing set. The bolt going through the top beam, anchored firmly in place with the nut, secures the swing and distributes your weight, but as attached to the rest of the swing hardware, still allows you to, well, swing!
Industries where you’ll find eye bolts
Hopefully your backyard doesn't have to deal with the bitter conditions that stainless steel eye bolts are subjected to in marine applications. Or the extreme heat the galvanized forged ones put up with in foundries.
Because those are the kinds of harsh environments where you'll find eye bolts. And the type of eye bolt used reflects what sort of environment it's going to be facing.
In the marine and offshore industries, saltwater and humidity can lead to corrosion. Remember, they might also be subject to quickly changing forces. Picture them with a load suspended from them as the boat pitches and rolls.
In industrial manufacturing, they may encounter chemicals or extreme temperatures. Acids, alkali's, solvents…potential exposure to any of these will help determine what material you’ll choose.
If they're being used to pull, push, and hoist in a mine or drilling operation, there could be abrasive materials that they're subjected to. There’s dust, moisture, vibration, and dynamic loads.
And even a common use like on a construction site can leave them exposed to weather, and you want to make sure that you have the right one for the purpose.
Choosing the right eye bolts for your application
For example, stainless steel ones can deal with salt water, which would cause significant corrosion issues in other alloys.
But when you're not worrying about salt water or corrosion, a galvanized or powder-coated forged eye bolt could be your best option. They're strong, and not only that, but they also have high impact resistance. This means they're good for industrial applications where there might be a lot of vibration or moving loads.
We say that these sometimes overlooked fasteners are quite key to your success, and it’s worth digging into your application. There are details to keep in mind when choosing them. For example, (you can tell we love examples), you want to use a regular rigging eye bolt for straight line pulls only. Shoulder bolts are reinforced, and can serve where an angular lift is required.
And like every part of your lifting and hoisting system, you want eye bolts to be included in your regular safety and maintenance protocol. This means checking for visible signs of wear: if they appear deformed at all, they need to be replaced. Look for bends or cracks. In some circumstances it would be advisable to have a replacement schedule, too.
We’d love to help you choose the correct ones for your applications, too. Give us a call at (713) 489-5335 or hit that chat button at the bottom right. Looking forward to hearing from you!