Acrylic Compound Prevents Loosening of Aircraft Cable-Connector Backshells
The engineers were given the assignment to recommend the most cost-effective solution without having to replace or modify the existing connectors. After investigating the situation, they concluded that a thread-locking compound would be the best choice because it would have the least impact on normal maintenance and would subject the connectors to the least potential damage. The compound they selected was ND Vibra-Tite®, from ND Industries, Inc., Clawson, Mich. This viscous resin has excellent cold-flow properties but dries to the touch in seconds and does not require that parts be pre-cleaned.
The product was selected because the specific blend of acrylic compounds provided a flexible consistency that never gets dry, allowing a fastener coated with it to be easily adjusted, removed and re-used many times. The material is thick, resilient and acts as a damping compound that enables the fastener to absorb vibration, eliminating the possibility of the fastener ever “walking out” of the thread path.