Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
cap screw
References
Images
Illustration showing seven types of screws and screw heads in a row, including a cap screw, machine screw with oval head, setscrew with hollow head, self-tapping screw, flat-head wood screw, machine screw with Phillips head, and lag screw, each labeled beneath.
Britannica AI Icon

cap screw

machine component
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Illustration showing seven types of screws and screw heads in a row, including a cap screw, machine screw with oval head, setscrew with hollow head, self-tapping screw, flat-head wood screw, machine screw with Phillips head, and lag screw, each labeled beneath.
Screws and screw heads Screws and screw heads (A) Cap screw, (B) machine screw with oval head, (C) setscrew with hollow head, (D) self-tapping screw, (E) flat-head wood screw, (F) machine screw with Phillips head, (G) lag screw.

A cap screw is a type of bolt used to fasten machine parts together. It is typically used when one of the parts has a threaded hole, or in conjunction with a nut. When tightened, cap screws stretch, creating a tensile load that clamps the parts securely. They are generally made in larger sizes compared to machine screws and are designed to be clamped together. The term "cap screw" can also refer to a tap bolt.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. cap screw
  2. screw cap
  3. capstan screw
  4. screw

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.