In my last post I showed an application of torque seal for my aileron attach bracket. One of my readers, Pat from CA, pointed out this EAA homebuilder hints video as a good reference on how to properly apply torque seal. For those of you who dont know about this series of videos, you are certainly missing out, this is a wonderful benefit of being an EAA member with lots and lots of great information. Check it out if you havent already.
So after watching this, it appears the opinion of this gentleman is to not apply the torque seal directly to the threads. Sounds like a good idea but as an Engineer, I tend to question everything, I apologize but its my nature. My only argument against this idea is, at least in this particular case, the entire bolt/nut assembly could turn even though the nut hadn't loosened. You would see a movement/break of the torque seal but that wouldn't necessarily mean the nut was coming loose. My goal is to know if the nut, independent of the bolt, has moved. Applying it the way he instructs may or may not accomplish this. One counter-argument is, if its torqued properly, the amount of pre-load on the bolt will be sufficient to prevent the bolt/nut assembly from turning? I plan to test this theory in the shop. I will also research this more for my own sake...as for other builders, as I always say, its your butt...your call. My advice if you are uncomfortable about this is seek out someone ( EAA Tech Counselor) who is knowledgable and you trust and ask them, or do further research like I am.
By the way, many thanks to Pat for bringing this to my attention. Discussion is always a good thing. Anyone who sees something in my posts that doesn't make sense, feel free to post a comment or email me about it. As I always say, I am no expert when it comes to building airplanes, just learning as I go just like you. For me, the learning is half the fun! ;)
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