×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Contact US

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

(OP)
I am being asked to attach by riveting, a hinge bracket to a carbon fibre panel which is going to get wet.The hinge is SAE 4130 painted
  I have been asked to use something other than titanium
 I think stainless steel may work. Everything else I have looked at so far screams "battery" when put aroung carbon fibre.  Any suggestions?
B.E.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

It will be a "battery" only if it gets wet. Even if you use ss, if does get wet, it won't help if salt is present and can accumulate. Isolate the two materials with a creep resisting electrical insulator such as epoxy grp, heavy film Mylar from Dupont. Electrical insulation specialist suppliers will be able to help with material in sheet/film/tube form. You have to isolate the rivets as well. If there is load DO NOT USE regular thermo plastics to isolate the two parts as they thin out with creep.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

(OP)
So you would reccommend pre drilling the holes and painting them with epoxy,then allowing that to harden prior to riveting? I can also add an additional layer of glass between the carbon fibre and the hinge.
B.E.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

As long as carbon fibers are prevented from being in electrical contact with the metal part it should be OK. Longer term chafing might be worth considering.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

It's not a bad idea to consider Composi-Lok by Fairchild in addition to the glass ply.  And, avoid if you can flush head at the composite side.  

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

(OP)
Minchungli
That the one thing I cannot avoid.
The countersunk head has to be on the Composite side, also since I can get at both sides it does not have to be a blind fastener. The customer has specified riveting But I could talk him into bolting the assembly.
B.E.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

When we have a situation where the c'sink is in the composite, we use a bonded grommet to prevent hole failure.  Unfortuately, you still have to isolate the grommet from the carbon.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

Flush head does not mean "won't work".  It's just not as strong as protruded ones.  You probably can do some test to get the pull-through strength and compare with your predicted fastener loads.  For the concern of direct contact between carbon and metals.  Generally, we put a glass if it's Al.  For Ti and CRS, which most likely your fastener is made of, we don't usually put a glass in between.  Maybe ewh can clarify what material his grommet is made of.  

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

The grommets we use are 304 CRES.  As minchungli mentioned, anytime we have contact with AL, we use a glass barrier ply.

RE: Attaching metal brackets to carbon fibre layup

(OP)
Gentlemen,
 What I am getting from all of this is that I really do not want the metal of the fastener touching the carbon.
 But that if I have to, CRES will work, which is what I suspected in the first place.
B.E.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members! Already a Member? Login


Resources

Low-Volume Rapid Injection Molding With 3D Printed Molds
Learn methods and guidelines for using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed molds in the injection molding process to lower costs and lead time. Discover how this hybrid manufacturing process enables on-demand mold fabrication to quickly produce small batches of thermoplastic parts. Download Now
Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)
Examine how the principles of DfAM upend many of the long-standing rules around manufacturability - allowing engineers and designers to place a part’s function at the center of their design considerations. Download Now
Taking Control of Engineering Documents
This ebook covers tips for creating and managing workflows, security best practices and protection of intellectual property, Cloud vs. on-premise software solutions, CAD file management, compliance, and more. Download Now