Composite Fastener Development

Composite materials offer excellent specific strength and specific stiffness advantages over metals for flat panels such as aircraft control surfaces and aerostructure that are stressed in two dimensions only. Fastener materials, however, typically are stressed in three dimensions, so isotropic metal fasteners are universally better structurally than composite fasteners. Unfortunately, metal fasteners are incompatible with composite aerostructure in terms of conductivity, hardness, strength, radar signature, and density. TRI/Austin proposes to incorporate state-of-the-art composite fastener technology into addressing the needs of the Army's Comanche program to capitalize on the compatibility of composite fasteners with composite aerostructure while ensuring the lack of high isotropic material strength is addressed through novel design. TRI/Austin has expertise in the areas of testing, materials research and development, tooling, and manufacturing to develop fully functional composite fasteners.