Dapeng Town Industrial Park, Tongshan District, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
SAFS bolt-ball nodes are composed of high-strength bolts, steel balls, screws (or pins), sleeves and cone heads (or cover plates). Depending on the force conditions of the rods (tension or compression), the force transmission paths and parts functions are different:
(1) When under tension: the force transmission path is: tension → steel pipe → cone head or cover plate → bolt → steel ball. At this time, the sleeve is not under force.
(2) When under compression: the force transmission path is: pressure → steel pipe → cone head or cover plate → sleeve → steel ball. At this time, the bolt is not under force.
The bolt-ball node plays the role of connecting the rods in the structure. Its force characteristics include:
(1) Transmitting tension and pressure between rods.
(2) Providing integrity and stability of the structure.
(3) Through high-strength bolt connection, fast installation and disassembly can be achieved.
The assembly process of bolt-ball grid usually includes the following steps:
(1) Construction preparation: including the preparation of design drawings and construction plans, site preparation, technical briefing and training, etc.
(2) Component prefabrication and inspection: prefabricate components according to design drawings in the factory or prefabrication site, and conduct quality inspection on prefabricated components.
(3) Node and rod assembly: assemble bolt balls, rods and other components according to design drawings on the ground or assembly platform to form grid units or local structures. Use special tools to tighten the bolts to ensure that the connection is firm and reliable.
(4) Grid unit hoisting: use lifting equipment to hoist the grid unit or local structure to the specified location and perform preliminary positioning.
(5) Overall splicing and adjustment: splice multiple grid units or local structures according to design requirements to form a complete grid structure. During the splicing process, use a steel ruler to re-measure the geometric dimensions, and constantly adjust the node position, rod length, etc. to ensure that the geometric dimensions and shape of the grid structure meet the design requirements.
(6) Final fixation and inspection: After completing the splicing of all grid units, conduct a comprehensive inspection and perform final fixation after confirmation. Check whether the bolt connection is tight, whether the node is stable, whether the structure is deformed, etc. to ensure the safety and reliability of the space structure.
