The Boeing Company

Dale Winter

John Richard Porter

Darrin Michael Hansen

Russell Joe Heeter

Kevin Darrell Pate

Jeffrey Denys Morgan

Steven C Steckmyer

Daniel R Smith

Tanni Sisco

Jeffrey A Wilkerson

Richard Bruce Tanner

Harry E Townsend

Thu A Nguyen

Antonio Carlos Rufin

Joe Heeter

Jeffrey Sutton

James F Huffaker

Jeffrey Alan Wilkerson

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating fasteners. One embodiment is an apparatus that includes a fastener. The fastener includes a head, a cylindrical shank that extends from the head and is dimensioned to engage in a fit with a corresponding hole, and a coating that is discontinuously speckled around a circumference of the shank and extends axially along the shank, leaving irregular portions of a surface of the shank exposed. The coating exhibits a higher lubricity than the surface, and the coating exhibits a higher dielectric withstand voltage than the surface.

Fasteners having enhanced electrical energy dispersion properties

A lightning-protected conductive composite fuel tank includes a conductive material arrayed on an outer surface to at least partially cover a fastener centerline. Through holes extend along the fastener centerline through the conductive material and the underlying fuel tank shell. These through holes are countersunk into the fuel tank shell to a depth such that a fastener in a through hole will avoid electrical continuity or communication with the conductive material on the fuel tank outer surface. The gap in the countersunk through holes, between the fastener heads and the coextensive outer surface of the fuel tank, is filled with a dielectric or nonconductive material.

Lightning protection system for aircraft composite structure

An apparatus comprises a wall, an internal structure, and a fastener. The wall has a conductive surface and a countersunk hole. The countersunk hole passes through the internal structure. The fastener has an interference fit within the countersunk hole.

Lightning protection system for an aircraft composite structure

Growing community of inventors

Maple Valley, WA, United States of America

Dale Winter