hydratight BoltScope Pro User manual

B
BO OL LT TS SC CO OP PE E P PR RO O – – B BO OL LT T T TE EN NS SI IO ON N M MO ON NI IT TO OR R
OPERATING MANUAL
P/N P-189-0003 Rev 2.12, March 2012

CHAPTER 1 WARRANTY AND SAFETY...........................................................1
1.1 WARRANTY ...............................................................................................1
1.2 SAFETY.....................................................................................................1
CHAPTER 2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL .................................................................2
2.1 IF YOU’RE NEW TO ULTRASONICS ................................................................2
2.2 IF YOU’RE NEW TO FASTENER MEASUREMENT ...............................................2
CHAPTER 3 QUICK START GUIDE...................................................................3
3.1 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................3
3.2 GETTING THE BOLTSCOPE PRO READY...................................................3
3.3 SETTING UP THE BOLTSCOPE PRO .........................................................3
3.4 CREATING A NEW GROUP TO STORE MEASUREMENTS..................................6
3.5 SETTING THE APPROXIMATE LENGTH.........................................................14
3.6 MEASURING REFERENCE LENGTHS ...........................................................16
3.7 MEASURING ELONGATIONS.......................................................................18
CHAPTER 4 KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE..................20
4.1 MENU KEY (OPERATION &SUB MENUS ) ...................................................20
4.2 CAL –MENU...........................................................................................22
4.3 MATL (MATERIAL)–MENU.......................................................................22
4.4 GEOM (GEOMETRY)–MENU....................................................................23
4.5 DISP (DISPLAY)–MENU ..........................................................................24
4.6 TUNE –MENU ........................................................................................24
4.7 AUTO –MENU........................................................................................25
4.8 SETUP –MENU......................................................................................26
4.9 DATA –MENU ........................................................................................26
4.10 UTIL (UTILITIES)–MENU..........................................................................27
4.11 XFER (TRANSFER)–MENU......................................................................27
4.12 CLR (CLEAR)KEY ...................................................................................28
4.13 MEAS (MEASUREMENT MODE)KEY...........................................................28
4.14 OK KEY ..................................................................................................30
4.15 ESC KEY ..................................................................................................30
4.16 ARROW KEYS ............................................................................................30
4.17 ENTER KEY..............................................................................................30
4.18 AUTO SET KEY........................................................................................30
4.19 ON/OFF KEY............................................................................................31
4.20 TOP &BOTTOM END CAPS .........................................................................31
CHAPTER 5 THEORY OF OPERATION ..........................................................33
5.1 ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT OF BOLTS.....................................................33
5.2 FEATURES OF THE BOLTSCOPE PRO.....................................................34
5.3 ULTRASONIC WAVES.................................................................................34
CHAPTER 6 BOLT PREPARATION.................................................................35
6.1 USE OF ULTRASONIC COUPLANT................................................................35

6.2 TRANSDUCER CONTACT REQUIREMENTS ....................................................36
6.3 BOLT END REFLECTORS............................................................................37
CHAPTER 7 TRANSDUCER SELECTION.......................................................39
7.1 SELECTING THE TRANSDUCER ..................................................................39
CHAPTER 8 MEASURING SYSTEM ZERO (CALIBRATION).........................40
8.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................40
8.2 CALIBRATION /ZERO MISNOMER................................................................41
8.3 USING A STANDARD BOLT..........................................................................41
8.4 CALIBRATION /ZERO BARS &TRIPLE SIDED GLASS BLOCK..........................64
CHAPTER 9 TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION............................................87
9.1 PURPOSE................................................................................................87
9.2 MANUAL MODE........................................................................................87
9.3 SEMI AUTOMATIC MODE ...........................................................................88
9.4 AUTOMATIC MODE ...................................................................................90
CHAPTER 10 BOLT MATERIAL CALIBRATION.............................................91
10.1 WHY DO WE NEED TO CALIBRATE...............................................................91
10.2 VELOCITY CALIBRATION ............................................................................91
10.3 STRESS FACTOR CALIBRATION ..................................................................95
10.4 TEMPERATURE FACTOR CALIBRATION ........................................................98
CHAPTER 11 LOAD MEASUREMENT ..........................................................102
11.1 CALCULATING A LOAD FACTOR ................................................................102
11.2 CALIBRATING A LOAD FACTOR (FIELD CALIBRATION)..................................105
11.3 PERFORMING A FIELD CALIBRATION.........................................................106
CHAPTER 12 MEASUREMENT AND THE WAVEFORM DISPLAY..............120
12.1 QUANTITIES OF MEASUREMENT...............................................................120
12.2 DISPLAY VIEW OPTIONS .........................................................................121
12.3 ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY ........................................................................127
12.4 GAIN.....................................................................................................132
12.5 THRESHOLD ..........................................................................................134
12.6 GATE....................................................................................................137
12.7 INTERPRETING THE WAVEFORM...............................................................141
12.8 MANUALLY LOCATING THE ECHO .............................................................143
12.9 AUTOMATIC ECHO OPTIMIZATION .............................................................145
12.10 UNLOADED LENGTH AND ELONGATION MEASUREMENTS............................149
CHAPTER 13 ADDITIONAL FEATURES .......................................................150
13.1 PULSE WIDTH........................................................................................150
13.2 ALARM MODE ........................................................................................150
13.3 POLARITY..............................................................................................153
13.4 RECTIFIED WAVEFORM (FILLED/UNFILLED)...............................................154
CHAPTER 14 DATA STORAGE – SETUP, EDIT, & VIEW GROUPS............156

14.1 INTRODUCTION TO GROUP (SPREADSHEET)FORMAT .................................156
14.2 CREATING A NEW GROUP .......................................................................156
14.3 STORING A READING...............................................................................165
14.4 VIEWING STORED MEASUREMENTS AND WAVEFORMS ................................166
14.5 DELETING A GROUP................................................................................169
14.6 EDITING A GROUP...................................................................................170
14.7 CHANGING THE ACTIVE GROUP (OPEN)....................................................173
CHAPTER 15 SETUPS – CREATE, STORE, EDIT, & RECALL....................175
15.1 INTRODUCTION TO SETUPS .....................................................................175
15.2 OPENING A SETUP .................................................................................175
15.3 SAVING A SETUP....................................................................................177
15.4 USING THE DEFAULT SETUP ...................................................................179
CHAPTER 16 USING THE UTILITY SOFTWARE..........................................182
16.1 COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.......................................................182
16.2 INSTALLING BOLTSCOPE PRO 1.X ......................................................182
16.3 UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE....................................................................182

BOLTSCOPE PRO - Bolt Tension Monitor
1
Chapter 1 Warranty and Safety
1.1 Warranty
The hydratight BOLTSCOPE PRO carries a two year limited warranty. The
warranty only applies to BOLTSCOPE PRO units being operated as described in
this manual. Software and hardware failures of the unit will be repaired or
replaced at hydratight discretion. hydratight will not be held liable for any damage
caused, interruption of business, loss of profits, etc., resulting from such failures.
hydratight will not be liable to repair or replace a unit, which has been damaged,
used inappropriately, or subject to unauthorized repair by the purchaser.
http://www.hydratight.com
1.2 Safety
Using the BOLTSCOPE PRO while standing in water or in a wet environment
can result in serious electric shock, injury, and even death.
Operating the BOLTSCOPE PRO with damaged or inadequate cables and
power source can result in serious electric shock, injury, and even death.
Failure to read this manual and understand the proper operation of the
BOLTSCOPE PRO can result in inaccurate measurements, and lead to
decisions which cause property damage, personal injury, or even death.
Use of the BOLTSCOPE PRO for any other purpose, or in any other manner
than described in this manual invalidates the warranty and can result in serious
electric shock, injury, and even death.

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Chapter 2 About this manual
This chapter is intended to help you make the best use of this manual. Readers
may have different knowledge of ultrasonic bolt measurement and may find parts
of this manual repetitive or unnecessary.
2.1 If you’re new to Ultrasonics
There are a variety of ultrasonic applications currently being utilized in today’s
industry. For example weld inspection, thickness measuring, immersion testing
of flaws, etc. The use of ultrasound to measure forces in fasteners is relatively
new compared to the previously mentioned traditional applications.
Ultrasonic measurement of bolts provides an extremely accurate means of
determining fastener load, provided the correct techniques are utilized. As a new
user, careful consideration of this entire manual is highly recommended.
2.2 If you’re new to fastener measurement
Assuming you are familiar with ultrasonics, but unfamiliar with fastener
measurement, the chapters on transducer selection and the theory of operation
can be skipped entirely.
The BOLTSCOPE PRO measures load on the fastener by measuring the
amount the fastener stretches. As load is applied to the fastener, it stretch’s just
as a spring would stretch. The stretch is proportional to the load while the load is
less than the elastic limit of bolt. By measuring the stretch of the fastener and
knowing the physical properties of the fastener, the load of the fastener can be
calculated. The BOLTSCOPE PRO measures the fastener stretch by
ultrasonically measuring the change in length.
Be sure to setup and experiment with a test fixture of some kind as a means of
becoming familiar with your BOLTSCOPE PRO.

BOLTSCOPE PRO - Bolt Tension Monitor
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Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide
3.1 Overview
This section demonstrates the basic procedures for setting up and measuring
bolts using the BOLTSCOPE PRO. More in depth explanations pertaining to the
individual functions and features can be found in the chapters that follow.
Here we go!
3.2 Getting the BOLTSCOPE PRO ready
Making all the connections
In order to get the BOLTSCOPE PRO ready for operation; the following
connections must be made:
1) Remove the BOLTSCOPE PRO from the carrying case.
2) Connect the transducer cable to the transducer, and plug the lemo
connector into the gauge.
3) If a temperature sensor is being used, connect the sensor to the
BOLTSCOPE PRO.
3.3 Setting up the BOLTSCOPE PRO
Please Read: In this section the BOLTSCOPE PRO will be setup in its simplest
form. Remember this is only a quick start guide to get the user up and
measuring bolts. Before we setup the gauge to measure basic elongation, the
following assumptions must be made: A preset material type will be used. The
user will not be re-measuring the fasteners at a later date to monitor relaxation of
the joint over time. This eliminates the need for a transducer zero. All these
assumptions will be answered and explained in detail in the chapters that follow.

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Selecting the Quick Start Setup
1) Press the ON/OFF key to power up the BOLTSCOPE PRO.
2) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the
MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to
tab left until the SETUP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu
items.
3) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until OPEN is highlighted.
4) Press the ENTER key to display the list of setups.
5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the setup list until
the QUICK START setup is highlighted.
6) Press the ENTER key to display the confirmation screen.
7) Press the OK key to select the setup and return to the menu screen, or
ESC to cancel the selecting the setup.