Overcoming Steel Connection Challenges with Innovative Solutions
When it comes to steel-to-steel connections, every traditional connection option has its strengths and limitations. Welding is a good example; it yields a strong connection with versatile potential applications, but it also leaves damage on the surface of components, requires skilled labor, and can be costly or difficult to set up, depending on the circumstances. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to any steel connection problem, it’s common for the circumstances and needs of a job to require a special type of connection solution that satisfies unique challenges.
This is where LNA Solutions comes in; we offer a wide range of products that offer damage-less, durable, and versatile answers to some of the most specific construction challenges that can arise. LNA products like BoxBolts and BeamClamps specialize in simplifying blind structural connections, and connecting hollow structural steel sections, allowing for only one person to quickly and easily connect steel components in otherwise hard-to-reach areas that usually require through-bolting or welding.
However, the unique design of implements like BoxBolts and BeamClamps make them ideal for solving all manner of construction challenges a job might present. Some jobs are too high up for welding, others need to be taken down and re-installed with ease, and many simply need a solution that isn’t tainted by unsightly burn marks or blemishes. Construction projects across America have chosen our products to find innovative solutions to the stringent challenges that demanding jobs can bring.
BOXBOLTS: PRESERVING AESTHETICS WITH GUARANTEED STRENGTH
BoxBolts are used mainly to connect hollow structural steel connections, or establish connections in other circumstances where only one side is accessible. Normally, through-bolting or welding can accomplish this, but the former requires two people, while the latter requires skilled labor, plus the added costs of hiring and scheduling a welder–all things BoxBolts do not need. The secret to the BoxBolt is its unique sheath-like design.
As the BoxBolt is screwed into a hole, panels located outside of the central bolt are pushed outward, creating walls of resistance that can anchor both sides of the connection in place, even when only one side can be reached.
The durability and strength of this connection are comparable to a welded one, but with a more consistent strength that isn’t dependent on factors like the quality of a weld. BoxBolts provide the same reliable strength every time and are simple enough for anyone on the job site to install or remove.
When other connection types are difficult or impossible, given the requirements of a job, BoxBolts are a versatile option. Here are some unique cases where LNA Solutions’ BoxBolts proved to be just what a construction project needed to get the job done, affordably and on-schedule:
EXTREME HEIGHTS
One World Trade Center is currently the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and during its construction, that extreme height made welding a difficult, unsafe, and sometimes unfeasible task. When curtain-wall brackets needed to be installed to hollow steel sections of the building, welding was ruled out, as it was considered too costly and dangerous to conduct at such heights. For this, Benson Industries and Tishman Realty & Construction chose to use BoxBolts instead. They were specifically chosen for the job because they could be installed with ease, thoroughly accomplishing the task while saving the project on time and labor costs.
PRESERVING AESTHETICS
The damage-free connection method of BoxBolts also makes them ideal in circumstances where the look of a connection is just as important as its durability. This was the case in the construction of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s amazing retractable oculus roof, located in Atlanta, Georgia.
This was a project of an ambitious scale with lots of moving parts that rely on seamless interaction with one another in order for the mechanism to work. Also, being a stadium visited by upwards of 70,000 people at a given event, the connections keeping this ambitious mechanism together needed to look appealing. BoxBolts were chosen for the job because of their immense load-bearing capacity, and the seamless look they retain when installed.
Another example of a project that relied on aesthetics is a unique one, a piece of engineering art erected in Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Park. With a look almost akin to a soccer net, this architectural achievement required a unique solution to connect the interlocking hexagonal grid that defines the structure. Considering the connections needed to be made on the outside of these components, and in full view of the public, BoxBolts provided a damage-free solution that integrated seamlessly into the appearance of the structure.
UNDERWATER INSTALLATION
In situations where water is involved, welding can be even more costly, risky, and logistically difficult to arrange. However, BoxBolts can be installed just as easily underwater as above it, ll while not compromising on the structural integrity demanding jobs often require to result in a safe, durable structure. When a large steel sea wall in Duluth, Minnesota, needed reinforcement, underwater welding was deemed too costly.
However, this was a project that required durable connections above all-else to withstand the power of the sea. BoxBolts were chosen to meet the project’s stringent demands, not just because of their sheer durability and strength, but also because they can easily be installed anywhere; even underwater. This project allowed nearly every advantage of BoxBolts to be used to its full potential.
BEAMCLAMPS: UNPARALLELED FLEXIBILITY WITH HIGH DURABILITY
Sometimes connections need to be established where even drilling holes for bolting isn’t an option. When it comes to connecting components like steel beams and girders, welding is usually the go-to option. However, for projects that need to be flexible, the permanent-nature of welding isn’t going to allow for components to easily be adjusted, removed, or re-installed. This is where BeamClamps come in; as their name implies, BeamClamps clamp themselves to the exterior of steel components, using immense friction to create a strong, durable connection that can be easily adjusted or replaced.
FLEXIBILITY
In some cases, components need to be mounted that also need to be easily replaced, both for cosmetic purposes, or for temporary structures that still require serious durability for the time they are assembled. BeamClamps are ideal in these situations because they’re durable, but completely removable and adjustable at a moment’s notice.
Take the Daytona International Speedway, for example. In preparation for the 2016 NASCAR Daytona 500, the stadium needed a complete signage upgrade that could be moved and replaced as signage needed to be changed and updated in the future. Because of this, LNA Solutions’ Type-BY BeamClamps were chosen, ensuring the signage was durably attached, while being easily removable as the need arises.
Another example where the flexibility of BeamClamps is important is in the construction of temporary structures. Sometimes, in a construction project, a structure needs to be erected on the job site to help personnel achieve a specific task. BeamClamps assisted in one such structure during the construction of a high-rise building. In order to transport components from the ground to higher floors of the building, a pulley track would need to be constructed, and it able to withstand considerable weight.
Fortunately, BeamClamps were up for the task. Not only are BeamClamps capable of immense strength due to their friction-based connection method, they’re also just as easy to remove as they are to install. This meant the pulley track could be completed, used effectively, and removed all with relative ease, with complete trust that BeamClamps would provide a durable enough solution.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE CONNECTION
Aesthetics and flexibility aren’t the only reasons that non-destructive connections can be important for a construction project. For example, when New York’s Laguardia Airport sought an expansion of their Delta Airlines terminal, the project came with a unique challenge. Specifically, construction needed to be carried out while the airport was fully open and operational, meaning this project had to be completed in a way that was safe for the public.
Since the project required steel-to-steel connections through hollow structural sections, welding would usually be an appropriate choice. However, welding requires safety equipment and other precautions, something that guests and patrons of the airport would not be able to accommodate.
For their safety, BeamClamps were chosen as the connection solution for this project. Their non-destructive connection meant a minimally invasive solution, allowing construction to continue without disrupting the airport’s operations or posing a safety risk for travelers.
CONCLUSION
While traditional steel-to-steel connection methods like welding and bolting will always have their place, sometimes the circumstances of a job require more specific, alternative solutions. In those cases, LNA Solutions products, such as BoxBolts and BeamClamps, can often provide the perfect solution.
Whether for their flexible, aesthetically pleasing, damage-free connection methods, or their ease of installation, LNA Solutions develops steel-to-steel connection implements that can satisfy even the most ambitious and demanding construction projects.
REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WITH LNA SOLUTIONS
LNA Solutions offers innovative products that satisfy even the most demanding and specific steel-to-steel connection needs. If you’d like to learn more about the implements and solutions we offer to streamline and strengthen your steel-to-steel connection needs, please refer to our product page.
Want to see our diverse range of products and applications in action? Check out our Case Studies page to learn how LNA Solutions products have aided construction projects across the country.
Last reviewed: May 6, 2026
