Complete Sourcing Solutions Blog

The safe and efficient operation of aircraft relies upon a number of integrated systems, including those involved in flight control, hydraulics, avionics, and fuel, among others. While these modalities tend to operate independently, they all share one common feature: the electrical system. It is this complex arrangement of components that provides power to the vessel throughout flight and ground operations. 

In order for a pilot to carry out a flight operation with as much safety and efficiency as possible, they must be constantly fed accurate information regarding flight parameters and system conditions. Even in the early days of powered flight, instruments such as tachometers, anemometers, and stopwatches were used to track engine operations, and technology has only exploded since. Nowadays, pilots and flight crews have easy access to numerous data points and aircraft conditions that range from the altitude the aircraft is flying at to surrounding weather. 

Eye bolts and hoist rings are mechanical fasteners with a threaded shaft and head forming a ring, and they attach to cables, ropes, or shackles to either secure an object to a structure and mitigate its movement, or they are installed to a device for lifting. While both are ring-shaped fasteners, eye bolts and hoist rings are two separate components with branching characteristics and applications. However, they do share one specific function in relation to one another; objects like a cable or other similar equipment can be inserted through the ring of an eye bolt or hoist ring to create a joining method for lifting heavy-duty equipment.

Bolts are a form of threaded fasteners with an external male thread necessitating a matching pre-formed female thread like a nut. Closely related to screws, bolts are used to join two or more objects by inserting them through those objects and securing them with a nut. Due to the nature of their design, they find use in a myriad of fastening applications.

Bolts are a very common type of threaded fastener, and they come in a variety of types, shapes, and sizes to accommodate a diverse set of applications and needs. When exploring the market for bolts, you may have come across what are known as carriage bolts, those of which are commonly used to fasten metal or wooden workpieces together for a secure assembly. 

Retaining rings, sometimes referred to as circlips or snap rings, are metallic fasteners that are placed on a groove or shaft, or placed within a bore or housing to retain an assembly of parts. Retaining rings are fairly easy to install, and despite their simplistic, compact design, they are able to secure parts with ease for a number of applications. As there are a few common types of retaining ring components with varying designs and uses, it is important to have a general understanding of each and how they may be used.

Applied to machinery to aid in a myriad of operations, couplings serve the primary function of connecting two shafts together to efficiently transmit power while also allowing minimal part misalignment and/or end movement. Coming in various rigid or flexible types, the application of such devices can also be used to alter vibrations exposed to rotating parts, minimize shock transmission to protect surrounding items, connect driving components, and allow for slip during imposed overload situations. Depending on what your operational demands require, this blog will highlight common couplings and their primary function(s), that way you can best find the item you are in search of.

Gear couplings are mechanical devices that provide a flexible connection to two rotating, non-collinear shafts by transmitting torque between them. The coupling type in any drive system is determined by the complexity of the connection, the field of operation, and the required torque transferability. Gear couplings are vital to many assemblies since they provide secure links to the system and stabilize dynamic vibrations that such connections may experience. Gear couplings may have one or two sleeves with two hubs of internal and external teeth conjoined as a continuous mechanical assembly. Couplings are the main components of aircraft turbines which are used to power aircraft pumps and motors. Since gear couplings are intrinsically fundamental to regular aircraft operations, learning more about their function and application is crucial.

When one is dealing with an application or system that involves the use of fluid flow, there will almost always be some type of valve involved for fluid management. Valves may come in various types depending on the application in question, and flow control valves in particular are a common type that are used to regulate the flow of fluid in hydraulic circuits. By managing the amount of fluid supplied to various sections of a system, hydraulic motor assemblies, cylinders, and other apparatuses may be governed in terms of pressure, temperature, and other flow adjustments.

The propeller of an aircraft is a device with radiating blades attached to a central hub, arranged so that each blade constitutes a part of the overall helical spiral. A propeller generates thrust due to the aerodynamic forces acting upon the blades from the circulating air around it, lending a forward motion to the aircraft. An engine is specifically designed to supply energy to the constantly rotating blades.