Subject: Tension Bolt Failure
From: ACRE NL
Date: 5/16/2001, 4:20 PM


If the bolts were fine with 130,000 miles while in the car, and one
failed after a
proportionately much smaller number hours in the airplane, it must have
to do with
the airplane environment, not the age of the engine.  After reading the
posts
regarding this incident, I don't recall anyone discussing vibration very
much.  I
suspect that the engine, direct-drive and propeller - as a powerplant
system - has a
somewhat different set of vibration characteristics than the engine had
while in the
car.  It is likely that in the vibration spectrum for the powerplant
there is a
component which matches the natural resonant frequency(ies) of the
tension bolts,
while they are under tension in the installed condition.


Rob Weinstock wrote:

Was the engine balanced during assembly?

Regards,

Rob

I am sure it was Rob. Ran 120,000 miles in a car. Far as Perry knows
and from the looks of it it is right off the showroom floor plus 120,000 miles
and 200 hours as an aircraft engine.

Paul Lamar
 
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