| Fastening systems are important in aircraft | | | | inserted. Pins can be straight, tapered, rolled or |
| construction because of the shear number of | | | | grooved and provide perfect alignment, holding parts |
| fasteners used. Aerospace fasteners and fastener | | | | inabsolute relation to one another. They also prevent |
| tooling or fastener installation tools are critical in the | | | | slippage due to high motion. |
| construction process and are often automated for | | | | Quick release fasteners are another type of fastener |
| cost-saving. | | | | used in aircraft interiors, ie removing panels for easy |
| Fatigue strength is important for safety and | | | | access. |
| durability, particularly in primary structures and | | | | Aerospace hardware can include aircraft tooling |
| assemblies. AN, MS and NAS are all quality standards | | | | generally, not just fastener installation tools. |
| indicative of strength, but also tolerance, dimensions, | | | | Aerospace bearings. |
| and finish. Blind structural fasteners, while historically | | | | Bearings are ubiquitous in aircraft, hydraulic actuators |
| lacking in strength, are being improved because they | | | | (rod end bearings), landing gear and wheels, flight |
| offer the advantage that they need access from | | | | controls (roller bearings), slats, flaps and flight control |
| one side only. | | | | surfaces (needle roller bearings), joints, hatch and |
| Sealed fasteners that provide a sealed joint are used | | | | door mechanisms and aerospace fans. |
| in wing fuel tanks for example. Composite fasteners | | | | Hydraulic fittings join titanium tube, stainless steel |
| are also being developed for the kind of advanced | | | | tube or braided steel hose and are usually subject to |
| materials that are introduced for applications in an | | | | 3000 psi. or more. |
| industry at the cutting edge. High strength fasteners | | | | Aerospace gaskets and seals. |
| for structures are frequently distinguished by the | | | | Carbon-faced seals are mechanical face seals that |
| material they are made from, for example, alloy 600 | | | | mate up to the rotating mating ring, bearing, or shaft. |
| or titanium fasteners. Titanium has the added | | | | The seal face in the stationary portion provides the |
| advantage for aircraft fasteners, that it is light. | | | | low friction wear element that rides on the harder |
| Stainless steel clamps have aircraft applications such | | | | wearresistant mating surface. Both the seal face and |
| as worm-screw clamps for use on fuel, oil, air and | | | | mating surfaces are typically lapped flat, providing a |
| coolant lines. The worm drive provides uniform | | | | virtually leak tight seal. |
| clamping pressure without distorting the hose. | | | | Gaskets too have many varied functions among |
| Nuts and nut plates and panel fasteners are | | | | which is metal O-rings, made from a corrosion and |
| commonplace in the aircraft interiors industry. Floating | | | | heat resistant steel tubing which form tubular sealing |
| nut plates can also be used to fasten to the fuselage | | | | rings. They are primarily for sealing fluid systems |
| of an unpressurised aircraft. Lockbolts and collars are | | | | attemperatures where the operating conditions are |
| a common method of fastening interior panels | | | | too severe for conventional elastomeric O-ring seals. |
| because they spread the load across a greater area, | | | | AS9100 hydraulic packings are seals for hydraulic |
| large heads and equally large flanges on the collars. | | | | cylinders in aerospace use, where durability is a prime |
| Self-locking nuts do not need a locking device. The | | | | consideration. Teflon O-rings cannot be melted and |
| most common method of locking comes from the | | | | teflon is inert, with a very low coefficient of friction. |
| use of inserts. Locknuts are used in high temperature | | | | By using the latest inventory management systems |
| environments or when subject to vibration. | | | | and demand modelling software, companies in the |
| Bolts are used for strength, but if strength is not a | | | | aerospace hardware sector usually operate on a |
| requirement, screws are fine. | | | | worldwide scale processing a huge number of orders |
| Pins are used to secure two objects together. Holes | | | | daily. |
| are bored in one or both of the objects and the pins | | | | |