March 5, 2013
Ongoing efforts to increase fuel efficiency, tactical mobility, and payload capacity in aerospace design are driving creative efforts to reduce mass through the use of lightweight materials such as composites, aluminum, and plastics. Use of these materials, however, can create compromises, as well as finding safe and reliable ways to fasten assemblies that assure joint integrity under the severe conditions of shock, vibration and thermal cycling common in aerospace applications.
Whereas threading directly into ductile aluminum is common, most composites are too brittle to be tapped. Shear strength and concentration of forces need to be carefully reviewed to confirm specific loads and vibration environments can be tolerated. (…)
