When Ted Nelson invented the stud welding gun, the time required to attach a stud to a substrate was reduced drastically, saving the U.S. Army some 50 million man hours. This advance in metal fastening was a game changer in fabrication industries from shipbuilding to bridge-building. Click Bond adhesive fastening systems is picking up where Nelson left off, reducing assembly time further still.
In the fabrication of an aircraft frame, riveted nut plates have been the standard fasteners for 40 years. However, for each nut plate, mechanics must precisely drill and countersink two holes, a taxing labor burden. Any mistakes made are a further labor and material cost. Click Bond’s bonding nut plates, by contrast, require only 20% of the time necessary to install riveted nut plates.
This reduction in installation time doesn’t sacrifice the quality of traditional riveting in favor of speed. On the contrary, Click Bond’s bonding nut places have received Technical Standard Orders by the Federal Aviation Administration, guaranteeing that they conform to FAA standards.
Bonding nut plates have undergone push out tests as well as torque out tests required by MIL-N-25027 to evaluate their attachment strength. Push out tests examined the amount of axial force that can be applied to the bonding nut plate by pushing the bolt against the nut. The torque out test, measuring the amount of torque the nut plate can withstand if the nut has become lodged in an unseated condition, was tested with an additional 75 lb. axial load not required by the MIL-N-25027.
During testing, nut plates were exposed to worst case fluid conditioning, Corrosion Preventative Compound at 120°F for seven days, and hot/wet conditioning at 100% relative humidity at 120°F for 30 days. Not only did the bonding nut plates meet requirements, they exceeded the requirements demanded by the military specifications, making Click Bond bonding nut plates a revolutionary, time savings alternative to riveted fasteners.
At Production Fastening Systems, we’re proud to offer Click Bond adhesive bonding, providing an alternative to traditional fastening methods. Contact our experts to learn more about the Click Bond products that we offer.
Reference
Adhesive Bonded Nutplates For Airframe Structures. Click Bond, Inc. 12 Feb. 2015 <http://www.clickbond.com/>
