I used to think torque wrenches were overkill for interior panels

I used to think torque wrenches were overkill for interior panels. Spent 3 years just using my calibrated elbow for those overhead bin brackets and seat tracks. Then last month I helped a buddy who works at a regional line in Nashville. He showed me this one A320 where the previous guy had overtorqued a bracket so bad it had stress cracks forming around the rivet holes. We had to drill out 8 rivets and install a doubler plate, all because someone thought they knew the feel. I bought a little digital torque adapter the next day for $40 and now I use it every time I touch anything structural. Has anyone else run into hidden damage from people skipping torque specs on secondary structure?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielb4316d ago

Actually those digital torque adapters aren't always super accurate on the low end. I had one that was off by like 10% below 30 inch-pounds. Might just be mine though.

sam1716d ago

Huh, really? My GearWrench one has been dead on down to like 5 inch-pounds when I checked it against my beam torque wrench, so maybe you just got a bad unit. I've seen a few guys at the shop swear by these things for small fasteners on engine work too. Could be the brand or QC issues more than the tech itself, right?