Merit Award: Circuit of the Americas Observation Tower and Austin 360 Amphitheater, Austin, Texas

The Clevis Rod and the Turnbuckle Rod offer the ability to provide tensile strength by increasing their tension as they are tightened. The tightening is done by opposing left hand and right hand threads. In the Clevis Rod drawing shown below rotating the threaded rod overhand towards the installer it will draw the two Clevises closer, creating more tension. Rotate the Rod overhand away from the installer will move the clevises away from each other, relieving tension. 

Landscape Evolution Observatory at Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona.

Typical Teflon® Slide Bearing Assemblies are made with 3/32” thick Fluorogold® bonded to a 1/8” thick backing plate. (Note: These dimensions can be changed to any size and thickness required.)

Often our Steel Fabricating customers require shims and choose them without considering material options. Slotted Steel Shims are the default selection. Typically stamped from grade A-36 or grade 50 steel they offer tremendous compressive strength.

All threaded rods come in a variety of steel grades, heat treating processes and coatings. For the Steel Fabricator, it is fairly easy if the call outs are all written correctly on the shop drawings, but often the drawings blur the specifications.

The fastest and most cost efficient way to make Handrail Post holes is with correct use of EZ Sleeves. Set properly they can save countless man hours and expense.

When making a steel wedge to order plans often call for a center hole that will be used for alignment or for locking the wedge in place. (See fig. 1) The hole can also be useful when removing a wedge while still under pressure.

Most Masonry Anchors are intended to be welded to Columns or Beams running straight up and down; i.e. perpendicular to the foundation. This is true of Rod Anchors, sometimes referred to as Weld-On Wire Ties, shown in the photos below and Slotted Channel, which is also called a Gripstay™ Channel or Channel Slot Anchor.