Bolt (fastener)

A bolt is a form of threaded fastener with an external male thread. Bolts are thus closely related to, and often confused with, screws.

Bolts vs. screws

The distinction between a bolt and a screw is usually unclear and misunderstood. There are several practical differences, but most have some degree of overlap between bolts and screws.

The defining distinction, per Machinery's Handbook, is in their intended purpose: Bolts are for the assembly of two unthreaded components, with the aid of a nut. Screws in contrast are used with components, at least one of which contains its own internal thread, which even may be formed by the installation of the screw itself. Many threaded fasteners can be described as either screws or bolts, depending on how they are used.

Bolts are often used to make a bolted joint. This is a combination of the nut applying an axial clamping force and also the shank of the bolt acting as a dowel, pinning the joint against sideways shear forces. For this reason, many bolts have a plain unthreaded shank as this makes for a better, stronger dowel. The presence of the unthreaded shank has often been given as characteristic of bolts vs. screws, but this is incidental to its use, rather than defining.

Bolt

Bolt or Bolts may refer to:

Common meanings

Arts and entertainment

Bolting (horticulture)

Bolting is when agricultural and horticultural crops prematurely produce a flowering stem (or stems) before the crop is harvested, in a natural attempt to produce seeds and hence reproduce. These flowering stems are usually vigorous extensions of existing leaf-bearing stems, and in order to produce them, a plant diverts resources away from producing the edible parts such as leaves or roots, resulting in a poor quality harvest from the grower's point of view. Plants that have produced flowering stems in this way are said to have bolted. Crops inclined to bolt include lettuce, beetroot, brassicas, spinach, celery and onion.

Bolting is induced by plant hormones of the gibberellin family, and can occur as a result of several factors, including changes in day length, the prevalence of low temperatures at particular stages in a plant's growth cycle, and the existence of stresses such as insufficient water or minerals. These factors may interact in a complex way. Day length may affect the propensity to bolt in that some plants are "long day plants", some are "short day plants" and some are "day neutral", so for example when a long day plant, such as spinach, experiences increasingly long days that reach a particular length, it will be inclined to bolt. Low temperatures can affect the propensity of some plants to bolt if they are experienced for sufficient periods at particular points in the life cycle of the plant; once these conditions have been met, plants that require such a trigger will subsequently bolt regardless of subsequent temperatures. Plants under stress may respond by bolting so that they can produce seeds before they die.

Bolt (video game)

Bolt is a video game available for PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the Disney film of the same name. It was released in North America on November 18, 2008. It was released in Australia on December 4, 2008. It was released in Europe on February 13, 2009. The video game was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive.

Synopsis

Setting

In the game, the player follows and controls the superdog Bolt and Penny on various missions taking place in the fictional universe from the movie. By using Bolt's superpowers, the player can fight enemies. New powers, such as Superbark and Laser Eyes, can be unlocked during the game. The levels are shared between Bolt and Penny. Bolt has superpowers, whereas Penny has maneuverability by using her Wheelbar. However, the game focuses on Bolt's fake TV life, not the actual movie storyline. Penny's father has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Calico, and Penny and Bolt must travel through 5 different countries to rescue him.