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Screw connections play a key role in lightweight construction. They must reliably transmit high forces and torques even under dynamic loads without loosening or failing.
But this is precisely where a conflict of objectives arises: Lightweight materials such as aluminum or magnesium offer low weight, but are often problematic in connection technology.
The solution: screw connections coated with Gripcoat® from Miba to increase friction on the joining surface.
Gripcoat® is an innovative direct coating technology from Miba. It specifically increases the coefficient of friction at screw connections.
Embedded hard particles create a micro-interlock between the joining partners. The result: significantly higher transferable transverse forces with the same or even lower preload force.
Advantages at a glance
The fastener coating technology enables:
A typical application demonstrates the potential: Gripcoat® was used on the joining surface when mounting an aluminum transmission cover on a transmission housing with a steel disc as an intermediate layer.
The simulation showed:
Without Gripcoat®: Coefficient of friction μ = 0.12 → Micro-movement up to 7 µm
With Gripcoat®: Coefficient of friction μ = 0.6 → Micro-movement only 1 µm
The coating eliminates the risk of local welding (fretting) or loosening of the screw connection. At the same time, additional design measures for securing the connection were not necessary.
By integrating the fastener coating already in the design phase, screw connections can be dimensioned specifically smaller or reduced in number.
Miba supports designers with:
The behavior of the fastener coating was tested extensively on screw connections using torsion test benches under realistic conditions. Various material combinations, D-KTL coatings, vibration loads and surface roughnesses were taken into account.
Results:
Gripcoat® therefore not only offers theoretical advantages, but also reliable facts for your development work.
With Gripcoat®, Miba offers a high-performance, tried-and-tested technology for increasing friction coefficients in order to exploit the full potential of modern lightweight construction concepts. And you don't have to compromise on safety or fatigue strength. Direct fastener coating not only increases the performance of screw connections, but also opens up completely new design possibilities: fewer screws, smaller components, lower weight.
