Patent ID: 8266781

Claim:
A method of tensioning a bolt including the steps of: applying a nut to the bolt, where the nut extends beyond the shank of the bolt; connecting a tensioning apparatus to the nut; so arranged that the nut transfers a tensile load generated by the tensioning apparatus to the bolt, wherein the tension apparatus is screw threadably connected to internal threads of an extended portion of the nut, wherein a quick release connection between the tensioning apparatus and the nut is provided; wherein an expanding spacer is interposed, about the bolt, between the nut and a component to be clamped, the expanding spacer being axially extendible to take up the strain gap between the nut and the component as the bolt is tensioned by the tensile load; and wherein the expanding spacer has two spacer halves, each with a planar faces and an inclined ramp face and a bore to receive the bolt, the spacer halves being relatively rotated, or moved laterally, so that the opposed ramp faces of the spacer halves cause the axial distance between the respective planar faces of the spacer halves to be selectively increased or decreased; wherein the angle of inclination of the ramped faces to the planar faces will be selected so that there will be no relative motion between the spacer halves when the expanding spacer is interposed between the nut and the component.