What Are Common Types of Aircraft Nuts?
Pilots need a vehicle that can withstand the rigors of flight and keep on working. Nuts are the fasteners that hold together different parts of an airplane. Nuts for aviation use come in many different sizes and styles, with the most common being hardened steel or corrosion-resistant metal types. They can also be made from various materials, including stainless steel (which has high durability), tempered titanium aluminum alloys, and more. The aviation industry is filled with many different types of nuts, those of which can be divided into two categories: Non-self-locking nuts, called standard nuts, and self-locking nuts. In this blog, we will be discussing these two categories and the types of nuts that belong to them.Non-Self-Locking Nuts
The most common non-self-locking nuts for aviation use are the plain nut, castle nut, wing nut, and plain hex nut. Let us look at each of them in detail:
- Plain Nuts
Plain nuts are designed with aviation-grade materials specifically intended for aviation requirements. Plain nuts are very similar to your everyday nuts, but differ in their quality. These are high-quality fasteners built to aviation standards to withstand the rigorous conditions of flight. They are rugged and durable, featuring unparalleled corrosion resistance compared to everyday hardware.
- Castle Nuts and Castellated Shear Nuts
Castle nuts are a special fastener that connects pieces with AN bolts, clevis bolts, eyebolts, and studs with holes drilled in their shanks. Castle nuts have crowns on top that look like medieval castles while having slots just like what you would find on standard hardware options. These nuts are purposely designed to handle large tension loads and to be rugged. A slot is provided, which can be used for the insertion of a cotter pin or safety wire for additional retention properties.
- Plain Hex Nuts and Light Hex Nuts
The plain hex nut is used in many applications because of its ruggedness and capability to withstand large tension loads. The plain hex nut has coarse threads. However, it is not as popular because there are no locking features, leading to their application on an aircraft being limited. There is another version of plain hex nuts that generally has a thinner design, and they are called a “Light Hex Nut” and require an auxiliary safety device.
- Plain Check Nuts
Plain check nuts are a great way to quickly and easily secure your project without needing any tools. These thinner pieces of metal can be used in many different applications, such as plain nuts securing threaded rods or using set screws as locking nuts. Apart from being thinner in size, their appearance is very similar to other types.
- Wing Nuts
Wingnuts are a cone-looking nut used where an item may be frequently removed, and extreme tightness is not required for their installation. The wing nut has large wings set 180 degrees apart with a hole through one of them for a safety wire, making it easy to tighten or loosen whatever you are securing with wing nuts.
Self-Locking Nuts
Self-locking nuts are a great way to keep your aircraft's parts in place. These nuts resist loosening under vibration or torque, and they typically provide locking action through deformation. Some self-locking nuts include boot-type, stainless steel, and elastic stop locknuts.
- Boot Nuts
Boot nuts are designed to take on force and hold aircraft parts that are under severe vibration conditions. They have two parts: one that maintains the component in place and another that keeps it from failing under pressure. As such, they are like an ordinary nut but with added features for safety reasons. The two-piece element of the nut is connected using springs to apply constant locking effects on bolts when appropriately installed.
- Stainless Steel Self-Locking Nuts
Stainless steel self-locking nuts can easily be tightened and loosened by hand. Like boot nuts, these nuts are also a two-piece design, but they can only be locked when seated against a surface and tightened. These two-piece designs make tightening easy since they avoid deformation effects regardless of how much force has been applied.
- Elastic Stop Nuts
Elastic stop nuts are designed to allow room for fibers in the nut, and they must be extremely tight. If it can quickly move by hand or with light pressure, this indicates that you need a replacement. Their design is similar to a plain nut with the added feature of an additional head, allowing space for the fiber.
Conclusion
ASAP Fulfillment is an advanced solution to aviation and aircraft part procurement needs. Whether you are looking for aircraft engine parts, aircraft propellers, avionic components, or pilot training devices and aids, we can help you with all your needs. ASAP Fulfillment also provides nuts for various civilian and military aircraft. Feel free to get in touch; We will be happy to help.
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