Powder-Actuated Fasteners

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Author Message Helaine K. Robinson CSI CCS CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: hollyrob Post Number: 379 Registered: 07-2003 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 11:17 am:    I see references to both “powder-actuated fasteners” and “power-actuated fasteners.” Powder-actuated fasteners are the shots and pans I recall from my drywall contractor days – because they sound like gunshots they are often banned in renovations, healthcare and security construction. Power-actuated fasteners are – what exactly? Electric screw guns? Is one term a typo of the other? I see them mentioned in MasterSpec. Nathan Woods, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 408 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 11:29 am:    Typo I think. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 523 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 11:44 am:    Not necessarily a typo, though it could be. Powder-actuated fasteners are a subset of power-actuated fasteners. Per ASTM E1190 - Standard Test Methods for Strength of Power-Actuated Fasteners Installed in Structural Members, under Terminology: 3.2.1 powder-actuated fastening system—a system that uses explosive powder to embed the fastener in structural elements. 3.2.2 power-actuated fastening system—a system that uses explosive powder, gas combustion, or compressed air or other gas to embed the fastener in structural elements. Helaine K. Robinson CSI CCS CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: hollyrob Post Number: 380 Registered: 07-2003 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 11:53 am:    Thanks Sheldon! So, are they equally noisy? Would both be banned in hospital and security construction? David Axt, AIA, CCS, CSI Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1278 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 12:08 pm:    What about nail guns? Screw guns? Circular saws? They are actuated by electric or pneumatic power. I would stick to "powder". There is a similar requirement for some school districts. Seems they don't want kids getting a hold of unspent shells. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 524 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 12:23 pm:    The topic is fasteners, not power tools. Unless you use a circular saw to drive nails, it is irrelevant to this discussion. If you use only the term powder-actuated, you exclude pneumatic tools. As noted in the definitions, powder-actuated is a specific type of power-actuated fastener. The typical nail gun, operated by compressed air, would be power-actuated, not powder-actuated. I didn't write the definitions, but in general, it is wise to use terms as they are defined, rather than in any generic sense that comes to mind. In this case, prohibiting use of powder-actuated tools would allow the use of power-actuated tools, which might produce just as much noise. Helaine, my experience suggests powder-actuated tools are noisier than those run by air compressor - as long as the air compressor is somewhere else. However, if the construction area is isolated by typical temporary partitions, the noise from powder-actuated tools can be confined. In either case, driving fasteners into a deck will be heard on the other side of the deck. Helaine K. Robinson CSI CCS CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: hollyrob Post Number: 381 Registered: 07-2003 Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011 - 12:29 pm:    Thanks Sheldon! ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 119 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Friday, December 23, 2011 - 11:40 am:    Hi Sheldon. Thanks for digging up the definitions. The feedback I've received about using powder-actuated fasteners in occupied spaces is that the sound of gunfire makes people upset. Powder-actuated fastening is just that, guns used to launch fasteners into substrates. As with air-actuated (power-actuated) systems, powder-actuated guns have a muzzle safety interlock. Presuming the worker has not over-ridden the safety interface, if the muzzle is not pressed against a surface with sufficient force, the firing pin is blocked and cannot reach the load to fire it. This ensures that the gun does not discharge in an unsafe manner, causing the nail to become a projectile. Of course power-actuated fastening can be loud too, and depending on the fastener and substrate it can still sound a bit like a gunshot, but it tends to be more muffled at least from what I've seen (heard?). John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1349 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - 11:23 am:    I use the term power-actuated as Sheldon notes, and have for many years. Scott Mize Senior Member Username: scott_mize_ccs_csi Post Number: 57 Registered: 02-2009 Posted on Monday, January 09, 2012 - 11:17 am:    "In either case, driving fasteners into a deck will be heard on the other side of the deck." This is definitely true. It's also true that using powder-actuated fasteners to anchor a metal deck to metal trusses / joists / purlins can punch out a little cylinder-shaped slug of the deck and/or truss material forced out by the fastener. We found that fastening the deck to the joists with powder-actuated fasteners didn't really save us time (vs. welding) because no construction personnel could be working in the area under the deck while the fasteners were placed. Those little slugs of deck material turned out to travel at a significant velocity once punched out... :-) ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 137 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Monday, January 09, 2012 - 12:27 pm:    ouch