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Aircraft Structural Screws

What are they and when to use?

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What are Structural Screws?

Structural Screws are those screws that conform to MIl-S-7839B


or latest version.

Structural Screws are stronger and have more rigid


manufacturing and inspection requirements than non-structural
screws.

Structural Screws are used where a stronger screw is required or


when it is necessary to keep threads out of the shear plane.
Identification
Structural aircraft screws have a shank. Unthreaded area
identified by the orange arrow.

non-structural structural 2,000 4,520


ultimate tensile strength, pounds

AN structural screws have an X stamped into


the head. NAS and MS structural screws
have their part number embossed into the
head.
Strength

Per MIL-S-7839B Structural screw strength is based on:


• 125 KSI for low-alloy steel
• 85 KSI for corrosion-resistant steel
• 62 KSI for aluminum alloy

Example:
125 KSI is 125,000 pounds per square inch. A 1/4-28 low-alloy steel
screw has a minimum ultimate tensile strength of 4,520 pounds.
Better Fatigue Strength

UNF UNJF

Aerospace-fasteners must have high fatigue strength. Most use a modified thread called a
"J" thread. The UNJ thread has a rounded root radius that increases thread strength.
Failures in threaded fasteners often start as a crack at the thread root where the stresses
are the highest. Rounding the thread root greatly increases fatigue strength.

Aerospace fasteners also use a tigher tolerance (class 3 instead of class 2) than
commercial fasteners, resulting in greater thread engagement.
Screws used as Shear Pins
Hole edges should not press against threads. Screws used as
pins (subject to shear stress) should not have threads in the
shear plane

In the picture above, a fully-threaded screw has been used on an aircraft spinner. Screw
threads against a vibrating surface acts like a saw and cuts away the hole boundry. A
structural screw with unthreaded shank would have protected the hole boundry from
wear.
Common Structural Screw Part Numbers

AN503 Fillister Head


coarse thread

AN525 Washer Head Screw


fine thread
AN502 Fillister Head
fine thread

MS24694 100 degree


countersink fine thread
MS27039 Pan Head NAS517 100 degree
fine thread countersink fine thread
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