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This is the ultimate guide to specifying aerospace fasteners<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n And let’s be very clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not a product guide (you can find our full stock card here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here you will learn about the the key specifications for aerospace fasteners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You will also learn the performance characteristics that these specifications, manufacturing materials and techniques result in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aerospace fasteners are designed to withstand the extreme environments that they often experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are various standard fasteners employed across the aerospace industry, all sharing the same names as stadard fasteners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Screws; But there is a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aersospace fasteners need to be durable and resistant to corrosion. They also need to withstand extreme pressure and dramatic temperature changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result of these exacting needs, there are various different designs for high-quality fasteners which have been developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aerospace fasteners are always made to the most demanding specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key characteristics include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Resistant to corrosion and oxidation (even in extreme conditions); Typical Aerospace Fastener Materials<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve already mentioned, there are various designs for different fasteners which are dependent on the desired characteristics of the fastener and the type of extreme conditions it will experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An instrumental part of a fastener\u2019s characteristic are the materials that the fastener is made of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the more commonly used materials in aerospace fasteners include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Steel Steel and steel-based alloys typically feature greater strength than other materials. However, this extra-strength comes at a cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steel is heavier, which can cause issues, especially when designing and constructing aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Serious careful consideration needs to be taken when using steel as a part in aerospace design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Normally when steel is used for aerospace applications, they mean stainless steel or particular steel alloys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certain steel alloys are susceptible to heat damage, however, which makes it doubly important that the proper series of stainless steel is chosen for the specific requirements of its aerospace application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three examples of this are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Series C300: This series is corrosion resistant (CRES) stainless steel. It doesn\u2019t, however, have the same heat resistance as other types of stainless steel but is often used for covers. There are also surface treatments that can be used on steels to improve their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aluminium has obvious benefits for the aerospace industry. It being much lighter than metals like steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it isn\u2019t as strong and to attain industry acceptable performance characteristics it must be cold-heat formed and then undergo additional surface treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, whilst these processes increase its strength and corrosion resistance, aluminium remains highly sensitive to dramatic temperature changes – and doesn\u2019t operate well above around 125 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the advantages of using titanium are that it is lightweight (compared to steel), has strength that is comparable to steel, and it is resistant to heat and cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specified operating temperatures range between -200C – 430C. This makes it a good material choice under certain circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n High-performance alloys, as they are also known, are frequently used in the aerospace industry due to their broad range of specifications and their high-performance qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They can withstand the many different types of stress that fasteners experience in aerospace equipment, whilst maintaining their structure and surface integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common super-alloys include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 A286: an iron-nickel-chromium alloy which can withstand temperatures ranging between minus 420 and 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. It exhibits high strength and corrosion and oxidation resistance. Suitable for use in engines, superchargers, and turbines. An aspect of the aerospace fastener industry that ironically often gets overlooked is fastener covers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are required for the purpose of protecting fasteners from additional stress. Fastener covers are made from a broad array of different materials, which like the fasteners themselves are used for their specific characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of materials used for fasteners covers include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Phosphate; \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more about aerospace fastener terminology, don\u2019t forget to keep checking back on our blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have been manufacturing and supplying aerospace fasteners<\/a> since the 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Rivets;
\u2022 Nuts;
\u2022 Bolts;
\u2022 Collars.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPerformance Characteristics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Durable and strong with high shear and fatigue strength;
\u2022 Lightweight (often there is a careful balance to be found between lightweight for optimization of aircraft performance, loss of strength that comes with some lightweight materials, and the cost);
\u2022 Temperature resistant (they need to function optimally in a large temperature range).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Aluminium
\u2022 Titanium
\u2022 Super-alloys<\/p>\n\n\n\nSteel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 CRES series 400: This series features much greater heat resistance than the series C300 but as a trade-off of sorts it\u2019s more susceptible to corrosion.
\u2022 Precipitation-hardened (PH) stainless steels of various grades are also used for some fastener applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAluminium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Titanium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Superalloys<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 H-11: a 5% chromium tool steel alloy which exhibits high impact resistance and surface hardness. Suitable for use in structural and highly stressed components, such as landing gears.
\u2022 Hastelloy\u00ae (a registered trademark of Haynes International, Inc.): a nickel-molybdenum-chromium super-alloy which exhibits high corrosion resistance. Suitable for use in combustion and exhaust components.
\u2022 Inconel 718\u00ae (a registered trademark of Special Metals Corporation): a nickel-based super-alloy, retains a 220ksi (kilopound per square inch) tensile strength up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
\u2022 Monel\u00ae (a registered trademark of Special Metals Corporation): a nickel-copper alloy which exhibits high tensile strength and corrosion resistance. Suitable for use in structural components, as well as combustion and exhaust equipment.
\u2022 Waspaloy\u00ae (a registered trademark of United Technologies Corp): a nickel-based super-alloy capable of withstanding temperatures up to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as exhibiting high corrosion and oxidation resistance.
\u2022 MP35N\u00ae (a registered trademark of SPS Technologies, Inc.): a nickel-cobalt based alloy which exhibits high tensile strength, surface hardness, and corrosion resistance. Suitable for use in structural components.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFastener Covers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Zinc;
\u2022 Nickel;
\u2022 Silver;
\u2022 Black Oxide;
\u2022 Cadmium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n