Click Bond kinda...

I'm wanting to install a nutplate on my firewall and the circumstances won't allow for a conventional riveted nutplate. For those who are familiar with bonded nutplates or who has made a homemade bonded nutplate should it be better to "make" a plate and bond or just bond a normal nutplate to material? I just need two 8/32 bonded nutplates to finish my job. Unless someone has a few spares to sell.... I have went to ACS but they sell a kit only.

The Flight Shop

Check with Theflightshop.com. They are Click Bond distributors and sell individual pieces and the small packets of Click Bond.

I have flush-riveted a nut plate to a small circular piece of aluminum (approx. 1"d) and then used JB-Weld to bond the assembly to a surface.

BUT... it was not on a vertical surface or stainless steel.

Just a thought.

Click Bonds

I'd be careful using Click Bonds in the engine compartment. Heat will soften the bond material, make sure it doesn't get too hot and is not an airworthy issue if it fails.

Homemade "Clickbond"

I have done what you are proposing on many occasions and have had good success. I use 3M DP-190 with a little aluminum powder mixed in to thicken it a little. I rivet a nutplate on to a 1" dia. x .032 Al disc, rough up the mating surfaces, and then join them per 3M instructions.

However, having said that, it does degrade with a temperature increase. It's data sheet indicates a shear strength drop from 2500 psi at 70*F down to 400 psi at 180*F. But even at that level, you still have (in theory) around 300 lb of shear strength. If your anchor is in tension - no harm, no foul - the adhesive gets softer as the temp increases, but then clamping from the tension joint keeps everything in order. When the temp goes back to ambient - the original joint strength comes back.

I've probably put in 30 or more over the years and have never had any come loose.

I did a shear test a while back on two of them installed on a test coupon, after a three day cure - it took 1500 lbs to cause failure. Good enough for me.

YMMV

David Howe

Basically I'm going to attach an adel clamp thru the firewall. I'm drilling a rivet out and enlarging it for an 8/32 screw. It will fasten through the reinforcement. I don't want to have to crawl under the I-Panel to hold the nut. It won't be directly on the SS, but will be subject to heat.

Tbone said:

I'm wanting to install a nutplate on my firewall and the circumstances won't allow for a conventional riveted nutplate. For those who are familiar with bonded nutplates or who has made a homemade bonded nutplate should it be better to "make" a plate and bond or just bond a normal nutplate to material? I just need two 8/32 bonded nutplates to finish my job. Unless someone has a few spares to sell.... I have went to ACS but they sell a kit only.

Click to expand...

I've had good experiences with Click-bonds; just be aware that if you're putting it on the SS firewall (aft side, I believe you indicated) that the SS is scuffed up *very* well in order to give the adhesive something to grip.

That said...did you look at all the different options for platenuts? Minis, one-legged, corners, etc.?

Cherry Rivetless Nut Plates

Has anybody tried using these? Looks like a great solution but I'm not sure of the pricing or the cost for special installation tools.

Here's the link - http://www.cherryaerospace.com/product/animations/rnpanims#rnp

Would a rivnut work?

Tbone said:

Basically I'm going to attach an adel clamp thru the firewall. I'm drilling a rivet out and enlarging it for an 8/32 screw. It will fasten through the reinforcement. I don't want to have to crawl under the I-Panel to hold the nut. It won't be directly on the SS, but will be subject to heat.

Click to expand...

Easy, drill out two rivets, the one for the bolt and an adjacent one, make up a small alum. plate and rivet the plate nut to it. You will end up with two firewall holes, one for your bolt and a hole for the rivet you just removed.

Put it behind the firewall, hold it in place and use a pop rivet to hold it in place. Now you will have a large hole with a plate nut behind it.

The bolt hole can be a little oversize so the tolerance of your plate construction doesn't have to be very exact. You will only have to insert yourself scrunched behind the firewall once to get the rivet in.

az_gila said:

Easy, drill out two rivets, the one for the bolt and an adjacent one, make up a small alum. plate and rivet the plate nut to it. You will end up with two firewall holes, one for your bolt and a hole for the rivet you just removed.

Put it behind the firewall, hold it in place and use a pop rivet to hold it in place. Now you will have a large hole with a plate nut behind it.

The bolt hole can be a little oversize so the tolerance of your plate construction doesn't have to be very exact. You will only have to insert yourself scrunched behind the firewall once to get the rivet in.

Click to expand...

Better still if the plate can be riveted in two places, say on either side of the bolt hole, to prevent the plate from ever rotating out of position. I'm not a fan of mixing heat and adhesives.

flion said:

Better still if the plate can be riveted in two places, say on either side of the bolt hole, to prevent the plate from ever rotating out of position. I'm not a fan of mixing heat and adhesives.

Click to expand...

I thought of that, but if it's on the firewall the probability is that the plate is up against the flange of an angle which will prevent rotation...

The rivet on either side solution does require a lot more accuracy in fabrication since both rivet holes must be precisely placed. Easy if you have reasonable rear access, but difficult otherwise.