9/8/98

CHAPTER 7 AC 43.13-1B

SECTION 3. BOLTS

7-34. GENERAL. Hardware is the term bolt is a standard AN-type or a special-purpose

used to describe the various types of fasteners bolt, and sometimes include the manufacturer.
and small items used to assemble and repair
aircraft structures and components. Only a. AN standard steel bolts are marked
hardware with traceability to an approved with either a raised dash or asterisk, corrosion-
manufacturing process or source should be resistant steel is marked by a single dash, and
used. This traceability will ensure that the AN aluminum-alloy bolts are marked with two
hardware is at least equal to the original or raised dashes.
properly-altered condition. Hardware that is
not traceable or is improperly altered, may be b. Special-purpose bolts include high-
substandard or counterfeit, since their physical strength, low-strength, and close-tolerance
properties cannot be substantiated. Selection types. These bolts are normally inspected by
and use of fasteners are as varied as the types magnetic particle inspection methods. Typical
of aircraft; therefore, care should be taken to markings include SPEC (usually heat-treated
ensure fasteners are approved by the Federal for strength and durability), and an aircraft
Aviation Administration (FAA) for the in- manufacturers part number stamped on the
tended installation, repair, or replacement. head. Bolts with no markings are low strength.
Threaded fasteners (bolts/screws) and rivets Close-tolerance NAS bolts are marked with
are the most commonly used fasteners because either a raised or recessed triangle. The mate-
they are designed to carry shear and/or tensile rial markings for NAS bolts are the same as for
loads. AN bolts, except they may be either raised or
recessed. Bolts requiring non-destructive in-
7-35. BOLTS. Most bolts used in aircraft spection (NDI) by magnetic particle inspection
structures are either general-purpose, internal- are identified by means of colored lacquer, or
wrenching, or close-tolerance AN, NAS, or head markings of a distinctive type. (See fig-
MS bolts. In certain cases, fastener manufac- ure 7-1.)
turers produce bolts of different dimensions or
greater strength than the standard types. Such 7-37. GRIP LENGTH. In general, bolt grip
bolts are made for a particular application, lengths of a fastener is the thickness of the
and it is of extreme importance to use like material the fastener is designed to hold when
bolts in replacement. Design specifications two or more parts are being assembled. Bolts
are available in MIL-HDBK-5 or USAF/Navy of slightly greater grip length may be used,
T.O. 1-1A-8/NAVAIR 01-1A-8. References provided washers are placed under the nut or
should be made to military specifications and bolthead. The maximum combined height of
industry design standards such as NAS, the washers that should be used is 1/8 inch. This
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and limits the use of washers necessary to compen-
Aerospace Material Standards (AMS). Typical sate for grip, up to the next standard grip size.
bolt types are shown in table 7-12. Over the years, some fasteners specifications
have been changed. For this reason, it is rec-
7-36. IDENTIFICATION. Aircraft bolts ommended when making repairs to an aircraft,
may be identified by code markings on the bolt whose original hardware is being replaced, that
heads. These markings generally denote the you must first measure the bolt before order-
material of which the bolt is made, whether the ing, rather than relying on the parts manual for

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 CHAPTER 7
AC 43.13-1B SECTION 3. BOLTS 9/8/98

of 0.0006 inch for a 5/8 inch bolt. Bolt holes

should be flush to the surface, and free of de-
bris to provide full bearing surface for the bolt
head and nut. In the event of over-sized or
elongated holes in structural members, ream-
ing or drilling the hole to accept the next larger
bolt size may be permissible. Care should be
taken to ensure items, such as edge distance,
clearance, and structural integrity are main-
tained. Consult the manufacturers structural
repair manual, the manufacturers engineering
department, or the FAA before drilling or
reaming any bolt hole in a critical structural
member.

7-40. TORQUES. The importance of cor-

rect torque application cannot be overempha-
sized. Undertorque can result in unnecessary
wear of nuts and bolts, as well as the parts they
secure. Overtorque can cause failure of a bolt
or nut from overstressing the threaded areas.
Uneven or additional loads that are applied to
the assembly may result in wear or premature
FIGURE 7-1. Typical aircraft bolt markings. failure. The following are a few simple, but
important procedures, that should be followed
identification. In the case of plate nuts, if to ensure that correct torque is applied.
proper bolt grip length is not available, add
shims under the plate. All bolt installations NOTE: Be sure that the torque ap-
which involve self-locking or plain nuts should plied is for the size of the bolt shank
have at least one thread of the bolt protruding not the wrench size.
through the nut.
a. Calibrate the torque wrench at least
7-38. LOCKING OR SAFETYING OF once a year, or immediately after it has been
BOLTS. Lock or safety all bolts and/or nuts, abused or dropped, to ensure continued accu-
except self-locking nuts. Do not reuse cotter racy.
pins or safety wire.
b. Be sure the bolt and nut threads are
7-39. BOLT FIT. Bolt holes, particularly clean and dry, unless otherwise specified by
those of primary connecting elements, have the manufacturer.
close tolerances. Generally, it is permissible to
use the first-lettered drill size larger than the c. Run the nut down to near contact
nominal bolt diameter, except when the AN with the washer or bearing surface and check
hexagon bolts are used in light-drive fit the friction drag torque required to turn the
(reamed) applications and where NAS close- nut. Whenever possible, apply the torque to
tolerance bolts or AN clevis bolts are used. A the nut and not the bolt. This will reduce rota-
light-drive fit can be defined as an interference tion of the bolt in the hole and reduce wear.

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9/8/98 CHAPTER 7 AC 43.13-1B
SECTION 3. BOLTS
d. Add the friction drag torque to the 7-41. STANDARD AIRCRAFT HEX
desired torque. This is referred to as final HEAD BOLTS (AN3 THROUGH AN20).
torque, which should register on the indicator These are all-purpose structural bolts used for
or setting for a snap-over type torque wrench. general applications that require tension or
shear loads. Steel bolts smaller than
e. Apply a smooth even pull when ap- No. 10-32, and aluminum alloy bolts smaller
plying torque pressure. If chattering or a jerk- than 1/4 inch diameter, should not be used in
ing motion occurs during final torque, back off primary structures. Do not use aluminum bolts
the nut and retorque. or nuts in applications requiring frequent re-
moval for inspection or maintenance.
NOTE: Many applications of bolts in
aircraft/engines require stretch checks 7-42. DRILLED HEAD BOLTS (AN73
prior to reuse. This requirement is THROUGH AN81). The AN drilled head
due primarily to bolt stretching bolt is similar to the standard hex bolt, but has
caused by overtorquing. a deeper head which is drilled to receive safety
wire. The physical differences preventing di-
f. When installing a castle nut, start rect interchangeability are the slightly greater
alignment with the cotter pin hole at the mini- head height, and longer thread length of the
mum recommended torque plus friction drag AN73 through AN81 series. The AN73
torque. through AN81 drilled head bolts have been su-
perseded by MS20073, for fine thread bolts
NOTE: Do not exceed the maximum and MS20074 for coarse thread bolts. AN73,
torque plus the friction drag. If the AN74, MS20073, and MS20074 bolts of like
hole and nut castellation do not align, thread and grip lengths are universally, func-
change washer or nut and try again. tionally, and dimensionally interchangeable.
Exceeding the maximum recom-
mended torque is not recommended. 7-43. ENGINE BOLTS. These are hex
head bolts (AN101001 through AN101900),
g. When torque is applied to bolt heads drilled shank hex head bolts (AN101901
or capscrews, apply the recommended torque through AN102800), drilled hex head (one
plus friction drag torque. hole) bolts (AN102801 through AN103700),
and drilled hex head (six holes) bolts
h. If special adapters are used which (AN103701 through AN104600). They are
will change the effective length of the torque similar to each other except for the holes in the
wrench, the final torque indication or wrench head and shank. Hex head bolts (AN104601
setting must be adjusted accordingly. Deter- through AN105500), drilled shank hex head
mine the torque wrench indication or setting bolts (AN105501 through AN106400), drilled
with adapter installed as shown in figure 7-2. hex head (one hole) bolts (AN106401 through
AN107300), and drilled hex head (six holes)
i. Table 7-1 shows the recommended bolts (AN107301 through AN108200) are
torque to be used when specific torque is not similar to the bolts described in para-
supplied by the manufacturer. The table in- graph 7-42, except that this series is manufac-
cludes standard nut and bolt combinations, tured from corrosion-resistant steel.
currently used in aviation maintenance. For
further identification of hardware, see chap-
ter 7, section 11.

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 CHAPTER 7
AC 43.13-1B SECTION 3. BOLTS 9/8/98

FIGURE 7-2. Torque wrench with various adapters.

Page 7-8 Par 7-43

 CHAPTER 7
9/8/98 AC 43.13-1B
SECTION 3. BOLTS
TABLE 7-1. Recommended torque values (inch-pounds).

CAUTION
THE FOLLOWING TORQUE VALUES ARE DERIVED FROM OIL FREE CADMIUM PLATED THREADS.

TORQUE LIMITS RECOMMENDED FOR INSTAL- MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE TIGHTENING

LATION (BOLTS LOADED PRIMARILY IN SHEAR) TORQUE LIMITS

Thread Size Tension type nuts Shear type nuts MS20364 Nuts MS20365 and Nuts MS20364 and
MS20365 and AN310 and AN320 (24,000 psi in AN310 (90,000 psi in AN320 (54,000 psi in
(40,000 psi in bolts) bolts) bolts) bolts)

FINE THREAD SERIES

8-36 12-15 7-9 20 12

10-32 20-25 12-15 40 25
1/4-28 50-70 30-40 100 60
5/16-24 100-140 60-85 225 140
3/8-24 160-190 95-110 390 240
7/16-20 450-500 270-300 840 500
1/2-20 480-690 290-410 1100 660
9/16-18 800-1000 480-600 1600 960
5/8-18 1100-1300 600-780 2400 1400
3/4-16 2300-2500 1300-1500 5000 3000
7/8-14 2500-3000 1500-1800 7000 4200
1-14 3700-5500 2200-3300* 10,000 6000
1-1/8-12 5000-7000 3000-4200* 15,000 9000
1-1/4-12 9000-11,000 5400-6600* 25,000 15,000

COARSE THREAD SERIES

8-32 12-15 7-9 20 12

10-24 20-25 12-15 35 21
1/4-20 40-50 25-30 75 45
5/16-18 80-90 48-55 160 100
3/8-16 160-185 95-100 275 170
7/16-14 235-255 140-155 475 280
1/2-13 400-480 240-290 880 520
9/16-12 500-700 300-420 1100 650
5/8-11 700-900 420-540 1500 900
3/4-10 1150-1600 700-950 2500 1500
7/8-9 2200-3000 1300-1800 4600 2700

The above torque values may be used for all cadmium-plated steel nuts of the fine or coarse thread series which
have approximately equal number of threads and equal face bearing areas.
* Estimated corresponding values.

7-44. CLOSE-TOLERANCE BOLTS. of bolt may require light tapping with a mallet
Close-tolerance, hex head, machine bolts to set the bolt shank into the bolt hole.
(AN173 through AN186), 100-degree counter-
sunk head, close-tolerance, high-strength bolts NOTE: Elimination of friction in in-
(NAS333 through NAS340), hex head, close- terference fit applications may some-
tolerance, short thread, titanium alloy bolts times be attained by placing the bolt
(NAS653 through NAS658), 100-degree in a freezer prior to installation.
countersunk flathead, close-tolerance titanium When this procedure is used, the bolt
alloy bolts (NAS663 through NAS668), and should be allowed to warm up to am-
drilled hex head close-tolerance titanium alloy bient temperature before torquing.
bolts (NAS673 through NAS678), are used in
applications where two parts bolted together CAUTION: Caution must be exer-
are subject to severe load reversals and vibra- cised in the use of close-tolerance bolts
tion. Because of the interference fit, this type for all critical applications, such as

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 CHAPTER 7
AC 43.13-1B SECTION 3. BOLTS 9/8/98

landing gear, control systems, and MS9039), and drilled twelve point head ma-
helicopter rotary controls. Do not chine bolts (MS9088 through MS9094), are
substitute for close-tolerance fasteners similar to the (NAS624 through NAS644); but
without specific instructions from the are made from different steel alloys, and their
aircraft manufacturer or the FAA. shanks have larger tolerances.

7-45. INTERNAL WRENCHING BOLTS 7-48. CLOSE-TOLERANCE SHEAR

(NAS144 THROUGH NAS158 AND NAS172 BOLTS (NAS464). These bolts are designed
THROUGH NAS176). These are high- for use where stresses normally are in shear
strength bolts used primarily in tension appli- only. These bolts have a shorter thread than
cations. Use a special heat-treated washer bolts designed for torquing.
(NAS143C) under the head to prevent the
large radius of the shank from contacting only 7-49. NAS6200 SERIES BOLTS. These
the sharp edge of the hole. Use a special heat- are close tolerance bolts and are available in
treated washer (NAS143) under the nut. two oversized diameters to fit slightly elon-
gated holes. These bolts can be ordered with
7-46. INTERNAL WRENCHING BOLTS an X or Y after the length, to designate the
(MS20004 THROUGH MS20024) AND SIX oversized grip portion of the bolt (i.e.,
HOLE, DRILLED SOCKET HEAD BOLTS NAS6204-6X for a 1/4 inch bolt with a
(AN148551 THROUGH AN149350). These 1/64 inch larger diameter). The elongated hole
are very similar to the bolts in paragraph 7-45, may have to be reamed to insure a good fit.
except these bolts are made from different al-
loys. The NAS144 through NAS158 and 7-50. CLEVIS BOLTS (AN21
NAS172 through NAS176 are interchangeable THROUGH AN36). These bolts are only
with MS20004 through MS20024 in the same used in applications subject to shear stress, and
thread configuration and grip lengths. The are often used as mechanical pins in control
AN148551 through AN149350 have been su- systems.
perseded by MS9088 through MS9094 with
the exception of AN149251 through 149350, 7-51. EYEBOLTS (AN42 THROUGH
which has no superseding MS standard. AN49). These bolts are used in applications
where external tension loads are to be applied.
7-47. TWELVE POINT, EXTERNAL The head of this bolt is specially designed for
WRENCHING BOLTS, (NAS624 the attachment of a turnbuckle, a clevis, or a
THROUGH NAS644). These bolts are used cable shackle. The threaded shank may or may
primarily in high-tensile, high-fatigue strength not be drilled for safetying.
applications. The twelve point head, heat-
resistant machine bolts (MS9033 through 7-62. [RESERVED.]
7-52.

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