Tsamouris, the Fastener Specialists©
In 2015, thousands of bolts on the new US embassy in Vauxhall, London, needed replacement after some of
them were found faulty.
The GBP 800 million (USD 1 billion or EUR 940 million) cube-shaped embassy, America’s largest in the
Western world, was shrouded in secrecy due to its highly sensitive nature. While details remained scarce, it
was understood that the issues involved bolts on the building’s upper floors.
The steel company tasked with replacing the bolts was the same contractor that had to spend over 6 million
GBP (7.6 million USD or 7.5 million EUR) in 2014, when two of its bolts, each the size of a human arm, broke
on the 738 feet tall (225 meters) “Cheesegrater” skyscraper.
The steel company tasked with replacing the bolts at the embassy was the same one that had to spend over
6 million GBP (7.6 million USD or 7.5 million EUR) in 2014. At that time, three of the bolts it had installed in
the 738-foot (225-meter) “Cheesegrater” skyscraper in London, each the size of a human arm, broke, forcing
the contractor to replace all 3,000 bolts in the skyscraper. Thankfully, no one was injured.
An investigation into the “Cheesegrater” bolt failures revealed that they had fractured due to hydrogen
embrittlement, a process in which hydrogen atoms diffuse into a substance, combine, and create internal
pressure, causing the metal to weaken.
In an era where the complexity and scale of architectural projects continue to grow, the need for fastening
solutions that can withstand the test of time and the elements has never been more crucial.