What Are the Different Types of Torque Wrenches?

What Is a Torque Wrench?

Torque wrenches are best suited to accomplish such critical tasks to guarantee the integrity of the connections. The instrument applies pre-determined pressure and torque to various fasteners including bolts and nuts to provide the right amount of tension while at the same time avoiding the risk of over tightening.

There are two main categories of torque wrenches. Firstly, there are those that apply a set amount of torque, and secondly, there are those that help establish the amount of torque being applied on a fastener.

Torque wrenches are specially designed to execute different industrial applications and vary in size and capacity. The following are some types of torque wrenches:

Beam Wrench

A beam torque wrench is a basic type of wrench. It has a lever arm between its head and the handle. The lever arm stretches against the gauge to indicate the amount of torque that is being applied when the tool is being used for fastening. When no pressure has been applied on the wrench, its indicator and the arm lie parallel to each other. When pressure is applied, the analog scale moves with the needle pointer giving a reading, similar to a weighing scale.

A beam wrench is usually heavier compared to other types of torque wrenches. It is also the simplest to use, least expensive and most durable compared to other torque wrenches.

However, beam wrenches have a limited level of accuracy.

Click Wrench

A click wrench has a limited laser cut scale, and you have to read it manually. Though made from durable metal, it has a self-protection mechanism against over-stretching and eventual breaking. You can preset the required level of torque, which when achieved, is indicated by the slipping of the clutch.

Click wrenches are incredibly versatile and affordable, making them a favorite among automotive mechanics working on a small scale.

However, it takes longer to read from these wrenches compared to reading from digital wrenches. As such, these wrenches are not ideal for use in commercial garages with high volumes of work.

Electronic Torque Wrench

Electronic torque wrenches, also known as digital torque wrenches, help establish the level of torque using set limits. The programmable device’s torsion rod is fitted with a strain gauge, which sends signals to the transducer indicating the torque per unit requirements on an LED display.

The wrench has an built-in memory stick for saving the readings for later reference or auditing.

Hydraulic Torque Wrench

They are used to accurately tighten connections that require massive torque such as in aviation and heavy equipment manufacturing.

The wrench’s drive head ratchet is operated by one or more hydraulic cylinders. When the cylinder extends, it pushes the drive head around through the pawls and then retracts over the ratchet’s teeth.

A hydraulic torque wrench is specially designed to exert a torque on a lubricated fastener through its head. The use of pre-calibrated torque is vital in fixing delicate automotive parts that would break when excess force and pressure is exerted.

Mechatronic Torque Wrench

A mechatronic torque wrench integrates the features of click-type wrenches with the latest electronic technology including the error proofreading functionalities. The tool's ability to troubleshoot faults during work significantly enhances the quality of your connections. Readings can be indicated in a digital or mechanical form depending on a user’s preference.

These wrenches give you more control over the joints to be connected since they have the focus controller function. Further, these wrenches can reach joints that are inaccessible using a standard wrench since they are compact.

Talk to the Aztec Bolting Team

If you have more questions about the different types of torque wrenches and which is best for your application, talk to our expert team about how you can increase your efficiency and productivity with our torque wrenches and torque tool repair.