Remain captive

Question

Can anyone explain What "remain captive " means when talking about door fasteners????

Door fasteners on all enclosures and compartments will be designed to seal the door tightly around its perimeter without penetrating the control compartment or enclosure. All parts of such fasteners should remain captive when the door is opened.

I can't make it out ...... As far I know "captive" is when someone is a prisoner (or an animal is in a cage). Is there any other meanings for this word??

Thank you in advance

Avangi · Accepted Answer

In my experience, a "captive *****," for instance, is one which has a portion "necked out" just below the head. If it's a sheet metal *****, when you ***** it through a panel (which has nothing behind it), and reach the necked portion, the ***** becomes "loose," and can flop around, so to speak. But it cannot escape the panel. The panel may then be attached to something else by turning the *****(s) into it.

When the panel is later removed, the screws will remain loosely attached to it.

In other arrangements, the ***** may be held captive by a very thin nut, but the nut must be threaded on until it reaches the necked (threadless) portion of the *****. This would be more common with machine screws, rather than sheet metal screws.

Once the ***** has been "screwed" into the panel (or the nut) and runs past the threads to the neck, it's practically impossible for the threads to become re-engaged, allowing the ***** to "escape." They've run off the track, so to speak.

In your example, the door panel is probably hinged, but not intended to be opened too frequently. Each time it's closed, the fasteners (screws of some sort) must be turned in until the panel is sealed tight.

When the door is opened, the screws must first be loosened. The door will gradually open a bit, but the screws will not back out of the panel. They'll remain loosely attached to it. The key to this is usually the neck just under the head.

Of course new types of fasteners are being designed all the time.

Rereading your excerpt, it's clear that simple captive screws wouldn't be allowed, because it's specified that the fasteners cannot penetrate the enclosure.
They would have to be some rather special fasteners. Long screws might tend to "short circuit" some wires.

The point is that you don't want to be looking on the floor for the fasteners every time you need to secure the door panel.

Remain captive

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