Shuriken ™

Simple Bolted Splices

Introducing a revolutionary — and dead simple — system for making field-bolted HSS splices. No complicated one-sided fasteners or field welding required. With Shuriken, all that’s required is a fast installation in the shop and standard A325 or A490 bolts in the field.

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How does Shuriken work?

Shuriken is a disposable wrench that holds a nut in place on the interior of an HSS member, allowing bolts to be installed and tightened from the exterior in the field. Shuriken is rugged enough to resist the torque from pretensioned bolt installation and flexible enough to preserve erection tolerances. Just mount Shuriken in the shop, and bolt in the field. It’s that easy.

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  1. High-strength polymer cap holds nut and prevents it from rotating.
  2. Flexible tabs prevent cap from rotating while allowing lateral movement, preserving installation tolerances.
  3. Steel ring transfers torque into substrate plate through tack welds.

Why Shuriken?

Efficiency
Shuriken makes it easier to use strong, efficient HSS in structural applications.
Speed
Skip time-consuming temporary connections and field welds to make connections fast.
Cost
Save money splicing with Shuriken instead of expensive one-sided connectors.

Ready to get started? Order Shuriken from our online store.

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It’s time to embrace HSS.

HSS have always offered high strength-to-weight ratios, exceptional torsional resistance and an aesthetically pleasing appearance, but complicated connections can keep builders and designers away. With Shuriken, connections are as clean and efficient as HSS themselves.

In recent years, increasing yield strength and the introduction of the ASTM A1085 material specification have made HSS more efficient and economical than ever.

But without a way to make efficient HSS connections, those advantages had to be weighed against the added labor and cost that comes with field welds and one-sided fasteners.

Shuriken solves that problem, dramatically reducing the time, effort and expense needed to get clean HSS splices.

With Shuriken, builders can unlock the full structural possibilities of HSS without losing efficiency savings on connection solutions that cost more or require more labor.

Together, HSS and Shuriken have the potential to open up new possibilities in structural steel construction. And all Atlas Tube HSS — from our smallest tubes to our largest Jumbo sizes — are rolled here in North America, so you can count on the high quality and fast turnaround you expect from domestic steel.

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Shuriken FAQ

How does Shuriken compare to one-sided connectors?

Shuriken has several advantages over existing one-sided connectors:

  1. Higher capacity: Shuriken allows use of both grade A325 and grade A490 bolts, which have greater capacity than most one-sided connectors. With the coming release of Shuriken for larger-diameter bolts, the available capacities are set to increase even further.
  2. Lower cost: Shuriken’s simplicity makes it less expensive than similarly sized one-sided connectors, even when the cost of hardware is included. And higher capacity per bolt means that fewer fasteners are required for a given connection, further reducing material and labor cost.
  3. Slip-critical capability: Shuriken allows installation of bolts for slip-critical connections in conformance with Research Council on Structural Connections (RCSC) standards.
  4. Standard holes, standard tools: No special tools or oversized holes required.

Where can I find allowable capacities for bolted connections made with Shuriken?

Right in your Steel Construction Manual. Shuriken is not a fastener and carries no load. Rather, it’s a disposable wrench that lets the bolt do all the work. A bolt tightened with Shuriken acts just like a bolt tightened the old-fashioned way.

When will larger sizes be available?

Shuriken is currently produced only in 3/4″ size. Shuriken’s acquisition by Atlas Tube has accelerated the development of larger sizes, and we look forward to releasing the 7/8″ size soon (with more to come in the future).

Why not just tack weld a nut on the inaccessible side?

Tack welding of nuts is occasionally seen in practice but has three major drawbacks:

  1. The code urges caution when welding nuts because their heat treatment makes them prone to cracking when exposed to the heat of the weld metal.
  2. Tack welding nuts sacrifices erection tolerance by locking nuts in place, whereas Shuriken allows the nut to shift laterally to accept misaligned bolts.
  3. Tack welded nuts may not be able to resist the torque imposed when pretensioning the bolts.

Can you ship internationally?

Yes! We are happy to accommodate purchases from just about anywhere. Please contact us prior to ordering to arrange payment and shipping.

Are you ready for the simplest HSS connections around?

If you’d like to learn more about how Shuriken can help you find big efficiencies and open up new possibilities on your next steel construction project, get in touch to talk with one of our steel engineers.