Module 6

Materials and Hardware

Fasteners

Part 3
 Fasteners

A Boeing 747 contains over 2 400 000 individual fasteners of many

different types and sizes.

The word “fastener” is used as a general term to describe all of the

various types of fastening device employed in the construction of an
aeroplane. It is necessary to use this term because the meanings of
the words “bolt” and “screw” for instance, may be interpreted
differently by separate organisations
 Fasteners
A definition of the word “bolt” describes a threaded fastener with a
plain (unthreaded) shank portion, whilst a “screw” refers to a fully
threaded item regardless of thread size, head style or material.

Definitions

The fastener systems to be discussed are standard threaded

fasteners and their mating parts (washers, nuts, locking devices etc).

A standard fastener comprises of a threaded portion, a head and

sometimes a plain shank or grip.

Between the shank and the thread is a small tapered transition zone
or lead-in and between the shank and the head is stress relieving
fillet radius.
 Fasteners
A fastener will be defined by a number of parameters which are laid
down in detail in its specification.

These include its Thread Form, Shank Diameter, Head Style, Grip
Length, Material, Surface Finish and Locking Facilities.
 Fasteners
Head Style - Where a flush surface is required, the fastener hole
may be countersunk to accommodate the head.

The standard countersink angle is 100o although variations do occur.

Flush fastener heads are provided with a Recess Drive or “slot”.

This slot may be of one of the following forms:

• Straight
• Radiused straight (“Hi-Torque”)
• Cruciform (cross shaped e.g. “Philips”)
• Off set cruciform (“Torq-set”)
• Off-set three point (“Tri-wing”),
• Splined (e.g. "Torx")or
• Hexagonal (Allen).
Fasteners
 Fasteners
Head Style

Protruding head fasteners may have any of the above Recess Drive
slots in a variety of head styles or may be External Wrenching.
 Fasteners
The nominal length depends on the style of the fastener in question.

If the item has a plain shank and protruding head the nominal length
or “grip” is measured from the underside of the head to the end of
the plain shank.

If the item has a protruding head and is fully threaded the nominal
length is a measure of the threaded portion.

If the item has a flush head (countersunk) the depth of the head is
included in the nominal length or grip.

The increments in which the length is measured varies between the

standards systems and must be determined before fastener
identification can take place.
Fasteners
 Fasteners

Material

Like head style, the material used will be dictated by the design
requirements and operating environment.

Factors to be considered in the selection of fastener material

include required tensile strength, corrosion resistance, temperature
tolerance, weight and cost.

Materials commonly used include Alloy Steels, Corrosion Resistant

and Stainless Steels, Titanium Alloys, Nickel Chrome Alloys and
Aluminium Alloys
 Fasteners

Surface Finish

Most materials require some sort of coating to improve their

corrosion resistance.

The coating or plating applied will depend on both the material

and the intended environment.

The most common forms of protection for aircraft fasteners include

Aluminium coating, Anodising, Cadmium plating, Chromium plating,
Nickel-Cadmium plating, Passivating, Phosphate Fluoride coating
and Silver plating.
 Fasteners
Critical Bolted Joints

Many bolted joints on aircraft are regarded as being critical to the

integrity of the structure.

To ensure the quality of the joint is acceptable, the tolerances of

both bolt and hole are carefully controlled.

Bolts of this kind are referred to as Close Tolerance bolts and they
are normally installed into reamed holes.

Close Tolerance bolts are identified by a number of different

markings, it is, however, vital that all fasteners are selected by part
number and installed as instructed, with reference to the Approved
Technical Publications.
 Fasteners

If the hole has become elongated or has worn larger than the
diameter of the bolt, the whole purpose of the close tolerance
concept has been destroyed.

Reference must be made to the Structural Repair Manual but

repair will normally involve replacement by a similar fastener with an
oversized shank.

Oversizes are normally available in 1/64" increments.

 Fasteners

Holes for close tolerance bolts may require special preparation.

For instance certain holes require Cold Working, a process where

the hole is broached with a tool of specific diameter.

This compresses the material around the hole, improving fatigue

resistance.

If the hole has to be oversized, this process may have to be

repeated.

Cold working
Locking Facilities
Most fasteners require some form of locking to prevent them from
becoming loose when subjected to vibration in operation.

This may be provided by the mating parts or by a feature of the

fastener itself.

Many fasteners have holes drilled in the heads to allow them to be

wire locked to an adjacent fastener or a suitable part of the
structure.

Others have a hole drilled through the threaded portion to allow a

split pin to be used in conjunction with a suitable nut.

Some have a small nylon pellet inserted into a cutout in the thread
or a patch of dry adhesive on the thread to increase the friction and
lock the nut in place.
Fasteners
 Fasteners
Usage

There are a wide variety of fastener styles each with their

own properties.

It is important that only the fastener specified for a particular

location is used in that location.

Installation of the incorrect type of fastener may have catastrophic

consequences.

The Illustrated Parts Catalogue (IPC) for the aircraft, equipment or

unit, specifies each individual fastener by Part Number and must
always be used to identify the parts needed for any job.
 Fasteners
When a part is unavailable or has been superseded, an alternative
part can only be substituted under suitable authority.

One source of information on acceptable alternatives is the

Structural Repair Manual (SRM) for an aircraft which contains a
recognised substitutions table.

Repair Schemes, Modifications and Service Bulletins (SB's) will also

give information on fastener substitution and replacement.

An example is the issue of an SB by Boeing calling for the

replacement of all structural fasteners made from H11 alloy steel
with fasteners made of Inconel (Nickel Chromium alloy) on all Boeing
airliners.
Fasteners
 Fasteners

Fasteners have to mate with a female thread form.

This may be a threaded hole in a structure or component or more

frequently, a nut.

Like fasteners, nuts come in all shapes and sizes, made from many
different materials.

It is therefore important to select replacement nuts by part number

from the Illustrated Parts Catalogue.
 Fasteners
Standard nuts are hexagonal in shape and are usually the same
size across flats as a bolt of the same thread size.

Often they are symmetrical, but some have an enlarged bearing

surface on one side and so must be used the right way up, these are
sometimes referred to as Engine nuts.

Nuts are normally six to ten threads deep but thinner, light weight
versions are available for shear applications.

Many are provided with locking facilities which include wire locking
holes and split pin slots.

Some nuts have a plain raised portion to accommodate the slots

without compromising the screw thread, these are referred to as
Castellated nuts.
 Fasteners
Bi-hex or twelve-point nut are often used and these are of a smaller
diameter than their hexagonal counterparts and are thus lighter.

Wing nuts are used in non-structural applications where a quick release

is required.

The wing may be drilled for wire locking.

Pal nuts are light weight pressed steel nuts of various designs which
contain only a partial thread and are usually used for non-structural
purposes.
Fasteners
 Fasteners
Stiffnuts
Stiffnuts are commonly used in the aerospace industry and have an
element or feature which increases the friction between the nut and
its mating part to prevent loosening caused by vibration.

The most common methods are 'thread disruption' where part of the
thread is distorted radially or axially, and the 'insert' type where the
fastener has to cut a thread in a plastic or fibre insert.

In order to check the effectiveness of the friction element of a small

diameter stiffnut, it is general practice to turn the nut onto its mating
thread by hand.

If it is possible to pass the thread through the friction element by

hand, then the locking is unsatisfactory.
 Fasteners
Oddie Stiffnut
The top of this nut is counter-bored, slotted vertically and depressed
inwards to form a circle of six tongues with the diameter slightly
smaller than the bolt thread core diameter.

As the nut installed the threads of the bolt displace the tongues
upwards, and a load is applied to the contacting thread faces.
 Fasteners
Philidas Stiffnut
This nut is made with a circular crown in which two slots are cut,
one above the other with an arc of about 270°.

The wings are displaced downward thus providing locking tension.

 Fasteners
Aerotight Stiffnut

This nut is made with a circular crown which is slotted across the
diameter and also on each side through an arc of 150°.

The resultant wings are de-pitched and forced inwards, thus causing
a sideways as well as downwards tension on the bolt threads.
 Fasteners
Nyloc Stiffnut
This nut is counter-bored at the top and spun over to retain a nylon
insert, the insert is not threaded and has an internal diameter
slightly less than the diameter of the bolt to which it is fitted.

On assembly, the bolt displaces the nylon in forming a thread, and a

high friction value is set up between the load carrying sides of the
thread in contact with the nylon.

They maybe used only once and are not suitable for hot locations.
 Fasteners
Nyloc Cap Nut
Similar to the Nyloc nut but incorporates a nylon insert in cap form
to seal the end of the bolt or screw to which the nut is fitted.

A cap nut is used for special applications, such as in pressurised

cabins, fuel and oil tanks etc, when leakage or seepage along the
bolt thread is undesirable.
 Fasteners
Kaylok
This nut is pressed from sheet steel and is both light and strong.

The rear portion of the threaded 'tube' is deformed to produce an

ellipse.

The mating thread will overcome the distortion but the resilience of
the nut will maintain a grip on the bolt. These nuts have the
additional advantage that an internal Kaynar socket can be used in
areas of restricted access.
 Fasteners
Lightweight Stiffnut
When the nut is screwed on to the bolt, the top of the nut is forced
to assume the round shape of the bolt and thus provides a locking
device.

When the nut is removed from the bolt it assumes its original
shape.
 Fasteners
Care must be taken not to reject these stiffnuts as unserviceable
due to the distortion which is an integral feature of their design.

The term Lightweight is used because this type of stiffnut has the
equivalent strength of larger nuts with the same thread diameter.

They are available in both hex and bi-hex form.

 Fasteners
Anchor Nuts
Anchor nuts are stiffnuts which are retained (either fixed or floating)
on a plate which is riveted to the structure to provide a blind
attachment.
 Fasteners

Where more than one nut is attached to a plate they are referred
to as Strip nuts.
Fasteners
Fasteners
 Fasteners
Thread Inserts

With the assembly of units and components, fasteners are often

installed in threaded holes.

With the periodic disassembly and reassembly of these parts during

their maintenance cycle, threads in softer metals will become worn
and damaged.

Thread inserts are usually fitted in light alloy materials such as

aluminium, magnesium, bronze and brass, to provide a more resilient
screw thread.

They also produce a large diameter

thread and thus a stronger attachment point in the softer materials.
 Fasteners
In addition, thread inserts are often specified for repair work in steel
components, where the original thread has been damaged and
fitment of an insert enables the original size bolts to be used
without affecting interchangeability.

There are basically two types of inserts available.

One is known as a wire thread insert (often referred to by the trade

name "Helicoil") and is made from specially formed wire wound into
a helical coil.

The other is known as a thin wall insert and is made from a tube
with threads formed on both the inside and the outside surfaces.
 Fasteners
Thread inserts should only be used when specified in the relevant
manual, drawing or repair scheme and care should be taken to
ensure that the correct insert is used.

Inserts should be installed strictly in accordance with the

manufacturer’s instructions, since there may be slight variations
between inserts conforming to the same specifications.
 Fasteners

A wire thread insert is a precision formed wire of diamond

section (usually of spring steel or stainless steel) wound into a
helical coil, the cross-section of the wire forming a thread both
inside and outside the coil.

When correctly installed, the coil provides a thread which

conforms to a particular British Standard or other specification
with a good surface finish and the inherent flexibility to
compensate to some degree for any errors of form in the
engaging bolt or screw.
 Fasteners

Wire thread inserts have a tang at the inner end to facilitate

fitting with a special tool; this tang may be removed after
installation if required.
 Fasteners
Thread Inserts

Special taps and checking gauges are provided by the insert

manufacturers.

The hole for the insert should be drilled to the diameter and depth
specified in tables supplied by the insert manufacturer, the depth
being calculated from the fitted length of the insert, plus the thread
run-out, plus a half pitch gap at each end of the insert.

The thread should be tapped with a special tap provided by the insert
manufacturer, a straight-fluted tap being used for hand tapping and a
spiral-fluted tap for machine tapping where this is possible.
 Fasteners

After the insert thread has been cut it should be cleaned of all
swarf and foreign matter.

The thread should then be checked with a special GO/NO GO

plug gauge provided by the insert manufacturer to ensure that
the thread is satisfactory
 Fasteners

Thin Wall Inserts

A thin wall insert comprises a tube with threads formed on its

internal and external surfaces.

These inserts do not exert any outward radial pressure on the

threaded holes into which they fit, and are locked in position by
various methods.