wheel bolts over torqued

Today I was changing a tire for a friend. His RV-8 was built three years ago and sports about 80 hrs.

The builder, my friend -during the building - was helped by the 'expert' in the wheels and brakes during the wheels assembly, not an airplane mechanic

That guy never use the torque wrench, it's for bubba he says.

It was really difficult (I really didn't understand why) removing the three bolts that keep the inner and outer half of the wheel. This is what I found:

- all bolts thread destroied

- two bolts bended

I can't imagine how much power the expert ironman put in.

Build safe, everything has its own reason.

torque

Wow! You northern Italians are strong... And take good photos of the Dolomites!

Just curious how over torqueing can cause the bolt to bend. It looks like the two halves have rotated some how or else.

The torque wrench is our friend.

bold bending?

I agree with Bavafa: You can't make a bolt bend like that by over-torquing - there has to be some kind of a side load. I'm also suspicious that the damaged threads were caused by over-torquing as well. The really bad threads on that last bolt almost look like someone tried to screw a coarse-thread nut onto an AN bolt.

weird. it took a significant load to bend that bolt.

Air Pressure

If you have a compete brain failure and remove one bolt before removing the air pressure from the tube, it will bend the two remaining bolts.

Don't bother asking me how I know...

Hawg Driver said:

If you have a compete brain failure and remove one bolt before removing the air pressure from the tube, it will bend the two remaining bolts.

Click to expand...

That was kind of my first thought when I saw the pictures.
Because I have never done that before, and I will never do it again.

Hawg Driver said:

If you have a compete brain failure and remove one bolt before removing the air pressure from the tube, it will bend the two remaining bolts.

Don't bother asking me how I know...

Click to expand...

That sounds like a potentially lethal accident waiting to happen

Hawg Driver said:

If you have a compete brain failure and remove one bolt before removing the air pressure from the tube, it will bend the two remaining bolts.

Don't bother asking me how I know...

Click to expand...

Good to know but this wasn't our case. The core valve had been already removed and the tire separated from the halves.

BUT with further investigation, despite the destroyed bolts thread comes probably by on over torqued, the recent story of a ground loop of the airplane open my eyes.

I didn't notice twisting in the halves but IMHO the case is closed.

The winner are "Bavafa" and "Snopercod".