Connecting Structural Glass to Primary Steelwork
Lindapter’s High Clamping Force (HCF) Hollo-Bolt was used to connect structural glass fins to the primary steelwork of the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre. The fins in turn support the walls of the glass box structure; one of the centre’s two ‘pods’, covered by an undulating roof supported by 211 steel beams.
A range of size M16 and M20 Hollo-Bolts were specified by the Designers & Engineers of the structural glazing, Vitrine Systems, to connect the glass fins to the RHS perimeter ring beams supporting the transparent glass panels that formed the exterior of the ‘pod’ housing the Visitor Centre’s café and shop. The Hollo-Bolt connections comfortably fulfilled all load requirements, which ranged from 20kN to 30kN depending on the connection location.
Reliable and High Strength Connections
The discrete and easy to install Hollo-Bolt provided the ideal connection method for this project where on-site access limitations posed a potential problem. The closed RHS steel made Hollo-Bolts the preferred connection method as they offered a reliable and high strength connection with independently approved safe working loads that could be installed using just handtools; a range of benefits that could not be matched by any alternative connection method.
The £27m Stonehenge Visitors Centre development was completed on time and on budget and opened to visitors in December 2013. The completed structure provides a striking gateway to the monument site for the 900,000 people who visit Stonehenge each year.
The Hollo-Bolt HCF features a patented High Clamping Force mechanism that produces three times the clamping force when compared to the same sized product without the mechanism.
