Van's Air Force Western Canada Wing

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Bolts and Safety

I was moved to write this by a recent fatal crash involving a strut-braced, ultralight aircraft in the U.S.  The crash was caused by the failure of the strut-to-fuselage attach bolt, which was in turn caused by improper installation of the bolt.  Granted, RVs don’t have struts, but they do have lots of bolts, most of which are critical to flight safety.

In this case, a rudimentary understanding of the proper use of bolts would have prevented the owner from installing the strut bolt improperly.  This information is readily available, and not at all difficult to understand.  The bolt bible, so far as I’m concerned, is

“Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook”
by Carroll Smith
ISBN 0-87938-406-9
Motorbooks International
PO Box 2, 729 Prospect Avenue
Osceola, WI 54020
USA

Another excellent book is John Schwaner’s “Sky Ranch Engineering Manual.”  This book is primarily about Lycoming and Continental engines, but it has an excellent section on fatigue, which covers bolt fatigue.  It is well worth reading.

If you want to learn more about fatigue than most practicing mechanical engineers know (trust me, I are one), you should read Carroll Smith’s “Engineer to Win.”  This is another car racing book, also available from Motorbooks International and Amazon.com.  Okay, it’s not an aviation book, but take a look at some of these chapters and tell me if you think knowing this stuff might help you build your RV.

• Introduction to Metallurgy
• Plastic and Elastic Deformation of Metals
• Iron and Steel Making
• Alloying and Heat Treatment of Steels
• Historic Overview of Man’s Production of Iron and Steel
• Non-Ferrous Metals and Their Metallurgy—Composite Materials
• Metal Fatigue—Or Why Things Break
• Threaded Fasteners—An Educated Re-Look
• The Joining of Materials—Riveting, Bonding, & Welding
• Plumbing Revisited
• Braking System
• Tools and Tips

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