Fasteners for Composites

THE increasingly important role of high‐modulus, fiber‐reinforced, epoxy‐resin composites in aerospace applications highlights the need for fasteners designed specifically for the materials. Strong as the composites are, they can be easily damaged by a fastener that would give excellent service when joining metals. A second limitation on the use of metal fasteners with advanced composites is the fact that certain metals commonly used for high‐strength fasteners can experience galvanic corrosion in composites containing graphite or carbon fibers.