Chapter 51-00-00 Standard Practices
51-00-10 Safety Wiring
Safety wire is used to secure fasteners to prevent them from coming lose. It's used a lot in aviation
and racing. To safety wire fasteners you will need safety wire, safety wire pliers, wire cutters (dykes),
and needle nose pliers. In a pinch, you can make do with the wire and needle-nose pliers with a
cutting edge. The hardest part of safety wiring is drilling the holes in the hardened fasteners. There
are jigs available to hold nuts and bolts so they can be drilled more easily. You may also be able to
purchase pre-drilled fasteners and save yourself some time. Safety wire comes in many types and
sizes. You must first select the correct type and size of wire for the job. Annealed corrosion-resistant
steel or stainless steel wire is used in race preparation.
51-00-11 The following Alternator rules apply to safety wiring
1. All safety wires must be tight after installation, but not under so much tension that
normal handling or vibration will break the wire.
2. The wire must be applied so that all pull exerted by the wire tends to tighten the nut.
3. Twists should be tight and even, and the wire between nuts as taut as possible
without over-twisting. Safety wire pliers can easily twist the wire too far, breaking or
weakening it.
4. Twist ends should routed so that no injured ours
For this reason, wire between nuts should be twisted with the hands. The use of pliers may damage
the wire. Pliers should be used only for final end twist before cutting excess wire
Fig. 51 - 1
Patterns
All critical nuts except the self-locking types must be safe tied; the method used depends upon the
particular installation. The illustration at left shows various methods commonly used in safety wiring
nuts, bolts, and screws. Examples 1, 2, and 7 show the proper method of safety wiring bolts, screws,
square head plugs, and similar parts when wired in pairs. Examples 4 and 5 show a single threaded
component wired to a housing or lug. Example 3 shows several components wired in series. Example
6 shows the proper method of wiring castellated nuts and studs. Note that there is no loop around the
nut. Example 8 shows several components in a closely spaced, closed geometrical pattern, using the
single-wire method.
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
