Fasteners are extremely common elements for aircraft construction, often accounting for half of the total parts of many popular airline models. As fasteners are components tasked with joining parts together to form assemblies, they can come in a plethora of types to accommodate diverse needs and materials. While common fasteners such as rivets, bolts, screws, and nuts are well discussed in the aviation sector, some may be unfamiliar with the more specialized types that serve important roles for aircraft construction. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of some of the special types of aircraft fasteners that are commonly used, allowing you to understand their applications and importance.

Machine pins, also known as pin fasteners, fastening pins, or simply pins, are a type of specialty fasteners used to align and join two components together. Pins are available in semi-permanent and quick-release models. Semi-permanent pins may require additional pressure or tools for installation and removal, while quick release pins will typically feature a spring-loaded mechanism which locks them into place to allow for easy installation and removal. Additionally, pins come in a broad range of sizes and materials with different designs to suit a wide array of applications.

Pillow block bearings are a type of housed bearing unit used with a machined mounting surface and found in mechanical power transmission systems where they support shafts and couplings. The shaft is perpendicular to the mounting screws and parallel to the mounting surface. Pillow block bearings can come in many types, such as ball bearing, cylindrical bearing, tapered roller bearing, or synthetic bushing. In this blog, we will discuss the basics of pillow block bearings.

A flanged ball bearing is a type of ball bearing specially engineered to provide a precise mounting. This is done through the axial location of the bearing’s shaft ends, which stabilizes the bearing’s positioning to maximize the load support. When using a ball bearing with a shaft axis that is perpendicular to the mount, flanged bearings facility either rotary or linear movement. There are many types of bearing flanges, each with differing designs and cages tailored to their specific ball bearings to maximize their loading and speed capabilities while enabling the two devices to function harmoniously. Flange bearings are screwed in relation to the shaft axis, meaning flanged roller bearings consist of an insert attached to a relatively flat housing structure.

A bearing is a mechanical component that may be implemented within an assembly to facilitate rotating motion and mitigate the forces of friction. As components that are tasked with the transferring of axial and radial loads to supporting structures, bearings must exhibit high amounts of precision and durability while ensuring noise and vibration do not become an issue. With the various common types of bearing components available on the market, automobiles, aircraft, construction equipment, and other vehicles and devices can all benefit from load bearing and friction reduction. In this blog, we will discuss some of the more common bearing types, allowing you to find which is best for your given application.

Electricity is an energy source that we now rely on for a grand number of applications, ranging from the powering of computers to lighting fixtures that illuminate spaces. As electricity can be derived from a variety of sources such as batteries and power grids, specific components are needed to transmit electricity correctly to accommodate a specific application. Known as power connectors, such components can come in a variety of forms to carry and transport voltage.

A bearing is a mechanical device used to prevent direct metal to metal contact between two elements in relative motion. This prevents friction and heat generation and ultimately slows the natural process of wear and tear. Furthermore, because bearings replace sliding motion with low friction rolling, energy consumption is also reduced. In addition to this, bearings also serve the purpose of transmitting loads from the rotating element to the housing. This load can be radial, axial, or a combination of both. Though a wide range of bearing types exist, they are generally separated into one or two major types: ball bearings and roller bearings. This blog will discuss both of these bearing types and their unique characteristics.

Despite aircraft being built from the highest quality materials, those materials would be rendered obsolete if they were not properly affixed to one another. This is where fasteners come in. Though they are small, seemingly insignificant parts, fasteners are the most critical part of an aircraft. Without them, aircraft could not be assembled, let alone withstand the extreme conditions they are subjected to during flight. In fact, in an entire aircraft, roughly half of all parts are fasteners.

Bolts, nails, and screws are all examples of fasteners. A lesser-known, but just as important fastener, is the rivet. A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener used to join two plates together. Because rivets are permanent (meaning they cannot be removed) their joints are incredibly strong and similar to those of adhesive or welded joints. It is a cylindrical piece of steel usually made from low carbon, but can also be made from aluminum, monel (a type of nickel alloy), or copper, depending on the application’s weight and corrosion-resistance requirements.

A bearing is a machine element that controls relative motion and reduces friction between moving parts. The majority of bearings facilitate a desired motion by minimizing friction. Bearings are classified broadly according to the type of operation, the motions allowed, or to the directions of the forces applied to the parts. One type of bearing, sealed ball bearings, differ greatly from open or shielded ball bearings. The main difference is that they cannot be re-lubricated once lubricant has broken out or begun to leak. Despite this feature often leading to a shorter lifespan when compared to properly maintained open or shielded bearings, sealed bearings have several benefits over other types of ball bearings. The three chief benefits of sealed ball bearings are that they require no maintenance, are not susceptible to contaminants, and cannot be over-lubricated.

D-subminiature connectors, sometimes called DB connectors or D-subs, are a versatile type of electrical connector. They derive their name from the unique D-shaped shield which protects all sides of the connector from both mechanical and electromagnetic interference. Additionally, the shields’ asymmetric shape ensures that it only attaches to its corresponding connector in the correct orientation. Within the D-sub, there are two or more parallel rows of pins (in the plug) or jacks (in the socket) aligned to match the equivalent contacts in the other half of the connector. The pins or jacks usually feature a gold tip surrounded by a layer of insulation made from a variety of materials such as glass or PBT, a plastic used for insulation.

Bearings are machine elements, implemented within an assembly to limit motion to a specific movement and to mitigate friction between moving components. When equipment and systems rotate while under operation, radial and axial loads are produced which may begin to cause damage if left unchecked. To prevent inevitable failure of the assembly, bearing surfaces are provided by bearings to compensate for the friction. Antifriction bearings, also known as rolling bearings, are components that carry an assembly load on rolling elements placed between races.

When you’re giving someone directions, odds are you’re doing so in relation to a separate location both you and the other person know. For instance, you might say something like “Go to the coffee shop on 5th Street and turn left.” This is because having an accepted position or reference point is extremely helpful in providing clear directions. This same concept is applied to astronomy, surveying, navigation, or any other related action.

Cams are a small component that many might not be aware of, but they may be found in dishwashers, automobiles, sprinklers, and many other applications and serve important functions. In general, their purpose is to transform rotary motion into linear motion, and there are many types that may be implemented. Despite their capabilities, cams themselves would be fairly useless if not for cam follower bearings.

DIN connectors are a type of electrical connector that feature various designs, standards, and capabilities to serve different applications. Electrical connectors are components that conjoin contacts, establishing an electrical circuit for a system and providing for applications that are power, data, and audiovisual related. DIN connectors were introduced in the early 1970’s by Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN), a German national standards organization, and have greatly expanded since. In this article, we will discuss the various types of DIN connectors available, their methods of mounting, and the applications that they serve across various industries.

Needle roller bearings are specialized roller bearings that employ long, thin, needle-like cylindrical rollers. While standard roller bearing rollers are just minimally longer than their diameter, needle bearings have rollers that can be four times longer than their diameter or even more. Similar to a standard bearing, the purpose of needle roller bearings is to reduce the friction of a rotating surface. A significant advantage of needle roller bearings is their large surface area in contact with the tracks/races, allowing them to support a heavier load. Despite their large surface area, they are also thinner, meaning they require less clearance between the axle and surrounding component. This blog will provide some insight into needle roller bearings and their function in the aerospace and aviation industries.

Camshaft bearings are among the most underappreciated parts of an engine. Their purpose is to support the camshaft in the engine and allow for its rotation, preventing detrimental friction from causing serious damage to the heart of your aircraft. An engine features between one and seven bearings on each camshaft, this number varying depending on engine type. Generally speaking, there are three configurations of camshafts: overhead valve design, overhead camshaft with rocker arms, and overhead with direct camshaft operation. The configuration affects where the bearing is applied and the load it bears.

A fastener is a component that is often used in several different appliances including furniture, automobiles, and of course, airplanes. Manufacturers and others working in the supply chain industry find fasteners very useful because of the way they can attach and hold two or more objects together. Captive fasteners, however, operate a little differently. The captive fastener is embedded in one part of the object and then the other part of the object is then anchored inside the fastener.

The aircraft battery is an essential component of aircraft as it acts as a primary source of power for most of the aircraft’s electrical needs, including cabin lighting, heating, air conditioning, etc. More significantly however, the aircraft needs a stable functioning battery because it will act as one of the last lines of defense in the case of an emergency.

Unless they work directly in the aviation industry, most people aren’t aware of bulkhead seating on an airplane. That’s no surprise because on most flight booking sites that allow the option of choosing seats, there is no mention of bulkhead seats (though you can certainly see the option on the seat map). The bulkhead in an aircraft refers to the dividing walls between cabins (on smaller aircraft, this will usually be a curtain). The seats in front of this wall are the bulkhead seats.