As a key component in aerospace spacecraft, fasteners play a vital role in maintaining and ensuring the safety performance of aircraft. Due to the special working environment of aerospace spacecraft, especially in the high temperature environment, the stability, reliability and functionality of fasteners have received much attention. This paper will discuss the high temperature performance of aerospace fasteners, analyze the impact of high temperature on fastener performance, and introduce the corresponding test methods and standards.
In the high temperature environment, the working principle and performance indicators of fasteners are different from those at normal temperature. Due to the increase in temperature, the yield strength, tensile strength, thermal expansion and contraction coefficient of the material change, and the stability, reliability and functionality of the fastener are affected to varying degrees. In order to ensure the safety performance of aerospace spacecraft, the performance of fasteners in high temperature environment has become an important research direction.
The impact of high temperature on fastener performance is mainly reflected in the following aspects. The first is thermal fatigue, because the thermal cycle caused by temperature fluctuations will lead to fatigue cracks in the fastener, and then reduce its service life. The second is plastic deformation, the yield strength of the fastener material at high temperature is reduced, which may lead to the change of the shape of the fastener and affect the stability of the aerospace spacecraft. Finally, fracture, in a high temperature environment, fasteners may be subjected to excessive thermal stress and fracture, resulting in serious safety accidents.
In order to evaluate the performance of fasteners in high temperature environments, a series of tests are required. These tests include thermal cycling, tensile test, corrosion test, etc. Among them, the thermal cycle test is used to simulate the temperature fluctuation experienced by the fastener in the actual aircraft to evaluate its thermal fatigue performance. Tensile test is used to detect the tensile strength and yield strength of fasteners at high temperatures to evaluate their stability; Corrosion tests are used to simulate the chemical environment that fasteners may encounter in actual use to evaluate their corrosion resistance.
In conducting these tests, reference needs to be made to relevant international and national standards. For example, the United States military standard MIL-STD-1901 and the European aerospace standard EASA-ST010145 both provide test methods and conformity standards for aerospace fasteners. These standards have important guiding significance for evaluating the high temperature performance of fasteners.
In general, the high temperature performance of fasteners is very important to improve the safety performance of aerospace spacecraft. Although the existing research has achieved some results, there are still some problems and shortcomings. For example, the existing test methods mainly focus on the performance of fasteners, but the factors affecting their performance and their mechanism of action are not enough. In addition, due to the complexity of the working environment of the spacecraft, the dynamic performance in the high temperature environment still needs to be further studied.
In the future, with the continuous progress of science and technology and the deepening of research, we look forward to making more breakthroughs in the high temperature performance of fasteners. This includes a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which high temperatures affect fastener performance, refining existing test methods and standards, and developing fastener materials and designs that are more adaptable to high temperature environments. In addition, strengthening international cooperation and exchange is also an important way to improve the research level of high temperature performance of fasteners and promote its development.
In short, through the in-depth study of the high temperature performance of aerospace fasteners, we can provide strong support for ensuring the safety performance of aerospace and contribute to the development of China’s aerospace industry.
