Recently there have been a number of articles on the durability of the fasteners and washers used to fix metal cladding to the supporting structure. Fasteners comprise a steel or some form of metal alloy core that is coated with a corrosion resistant material. Stainless steel and brass fasteners are not normally coated. Simplistically speaking the core provides the structural strength and the coating the resistance to the corrosive elements of the environment in which the cladding is installed. The function of the washers is to weatherproof the hole made to accommodate the fastener and distribute the load applied to the cladding profile under stormy conditions. Washers comprise two parts, a metal load bearing disk and a sealing membrane. Some fasteners are made with a combined head and washer.
Simplistically speaking the core provides the structural strength and the coating the resistance to the corrosive elements of the environment in which the cladding is installed. The function of the washers is to weatherproof the hole made to accommodate the fastener and distribute the load applied to the cladding profile under stormy conditions. Washers comprise two parts, a metal load bearing disk and a sealing membrane. Some fasteners are made with a combined head and washer.
Originally metal cladding was fixed to steel members with hook bolts and to timber members with drive screws. Modern fixings are effectively different types of screws ranging from conventional thread to self-tapping and self-drilling.