Hello, this is VALVEPARK.
Today we want to share an actual case we resolved on behalf of our customer, Company P.
Company P had been struggling with a wear problem on the locking bolts of band clamps,
and through this case we will walk through the precise root-cause analysis and the practical solution we proposed.
Company P had been experiencing the following issues while using band clamps.
※What is a Burr?
It refers to the rough, sharp residue that forms at the edges of a material during metal machining.
It can occur when threads become deformed.
After repeatedly tightening and loosening the clamp, the threads on the bolt and nut wear down,
deforming into burrs that render the parts unusable.
Because this goes beyond simple wear and can undermine product reliability and delay on-site work,
we immediately began root-cause analysis and solution development.
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To pinpoint the cause of the problem,
we compared the clamp Company P was using with off-the-shelf products on the market and with our own prototype.
Clamp A (Off-the-shelf product 1)
Clamp B (Off-the-shelf product 2)
Clamp C (Our in-house prototype)
Repeated tightening tests under identical conditions
Visual and precision analysis of the number of tightening cycles, metal particle generation, and thread wear
| Sample | Test Results |
|---|---|
| A (Off-the-shelf 1) | Severe thread wear and heavy metal-particle generation after repeated tightening |
| B (Off-the-shelf 2) | Threads deformed and burrs formed during tightening → nut could no longer be engaged |
| C (In-house prototype) | Only minor metal-particle generation, performance held even after 10+ tightening cycles |
Conclusion: Clamp C maintained stable tightening performance even with repeated use.
👨🔧🔍
Our analysis identified galling as the core cause of this problem.
※What is galling?
It is caused by the combined effect of friction and adhesion that occurs as two metal surfaces slide against each other.
When galling occurs, material is pulled off one surface as if it were glued, and lumps onto the other surface.
It is especially common in materials like SUS304 stainless steel, which offer excellent corrosion resistance but relatively low hardness.
We proposed the following step-by-step solution to Company P.
1️⃣ Material Diagnosis
Materials in use: bolt & nut both SUS304
Issue: both pieces are soft, so galling occurs easily under friction
Dissimilar stainless-steel pairing
Combining materials from different stainless grades galling can be suppressed
PTFE (Teflon) coating applied
lowers the friction coefficient while preserving clamping force
| Part | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Bolt | SUS304 | SUS400 series (heat treated for higher hardness) |
| Nut | SUS304 | Unchanged |
🔑 Key point: pairing materials of different hardness galling prevention & better wear resistance
wear prevention + sustained clamping stability
The final proposed solution delivered the following results.
✔ Thread deformation reduced by more than 90%
✔ Identical performance maintained even after repeated tightening
✔ Work time & part-replacement cycle both improved
This case shows how we accurately diagnosed a recurring on-site wear problem,
and delivered tangible performance gains through fundamental solutions such as material pairing and surface coating.
VALVEPARK will continue to analyze customer field issues with deep technical rigor, and
stay one step ahead so we can always propose the most realistic and effective solutions.
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