14
NEWS
Big plans for Brighton Best
In line with its radical expansion in the US and other global markets
Brighton Best International has now committed to a completely new
facility in Cradley Heath, Birmingham, UK.
The 60,000 square feet (5,600 square metre), ten metres to the eaves warehouse has a fl oor
loading exceeding 70KN in order to take 24 tonnes (30 x 800 kilo pallets) in each racking bay.
“We expect the new facility to be operational by March 2010,” managing director, Ray Southam,
told Fastener + Fixing Magazine.
Vibration induced fastener fatigue blamed
for Russian dam disaster
On 17 August 2009 turbine No 2 at the Sayano-Shushenskoye hydroelectric power station, in Khakassia,
south central Russia, disintegrated, lifting the massive rotor, weighing over 900 tonnes, several metres,
forcing off the turbine cover and allowing a torrent of water to engulf the turbine hall.
The turbine hall roof collapsed and nine out of ten turbines were damaged or destroyed. Seventy-fi ve people died as a result of the accident.
In addition to the impact on power supplies, 40 tonnes of transformer oil spilled into the river Yenisei spreading 80 kilometres downstream.
A report by a Russian parliamentary commission, released on 21 December, found that the failure was due to fatigue cracking in the 8cm
diameter bolts securing the turbine cover. In September Izvestia published an article, based on unoffi cial information, suggesting the accident was
caused by turbine vibration, apparently recognised as an increasing problem on turbine No 2 for several years.
An offi cial report from the Federal Environmental, Technological and Atomic Supervisory Service (Rostekhnadzor) released in November,
confi rmed that vibration had led to fatigue damage in the turbine mountings and cover. At least six of eighty bolts securing the turbine cover are
reported to have been missing nuts. 49 bolts were reported to have been tested after the accident of which 41 had fatigue cracks – on eight bolts
the cracks were said to have exceeded 90% of the bolt cross section. The parliamentary committee blamed poor maintenance as contributing to
the failure of the bolts. Faults in the dam’s design and lack of adequate protective measures were also cited as exacerbating the accident.
Walter Koepping joins STF
Walter Koepping has joined Stainless Threaded Fasteners, the UK based fastener wholesaler, as European
business development manager. He will be working alongside Phil Hawtin, UK business development
manager, and David Harris, purchasing manager.
Based in Essen, Germany, Walter has over 30 years experience both metric and imperial thread form; high grade alloy socket and
in the fastener industry working throughout Europe for both hexagon fasteners in a variety of fi nishes including self colour, CR3
manufacturers and wholesalers. Between 1985 and 1997 he was zinc & galvanised; carbon steel fasteners for the construction industry
agent for Spanish fastener manufacturer Torbessa, joining alongside JCP Construction fi xings and the Action Can industrial
Fastbolt GmbH in 1992 as an agent and then from 1997 to 2001 aerosol range, all of which are available from stock.
as sales manager. STF has over 20 years experience of consolidating and shipping
Walter is developing sales of the SRB Group’s range of products group product for customers to Europe or the rest of the World
across Europe, which includes brass and stainless steel fasteners in through a multi-lingual sales team based in Bilston, UK.
TR Fastenings upgrades website
TR Fastenings has just upgraded its extensive 1,500 page website. With over 33,000 registered engineers,
designers and project managers already using the website, TR says it was important to retain all the aspects
that had proved popular, yet make it even easier to use. The new website integrates two previous sites.
TR Fastenings offers some 20,000 types of fastenings for general industrial application, as well as for a range of niche markets such as
aerospace, automotive, marine, medical, electronics and IT. The new website also allows access to all product information.
Users can set up a project, drill down through product groups and sub-groups with one-click fi ltering to produce part numbers and add
them to the project. There is dimensional and performance data on thousands of fasteners, as well as product animations, and downloadable
2D/3D CAD drawings for most products. Technical support is also provided with design guides and installation guidelines, assembly data,
thread geometry, engineering tables as well as DIN/ISO/BS charts. Newsletters specifi c to user industries are also newly available on the
latest website.
Even before upgrading, TR says the site was widely regarded as one of the best fastener websites for design engineers and rated as
one of the most visited industrial fastener websites in the world, with over 1 million pages viewed in the last year.
Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 61 January 2010
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