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Tight slip fit of rod end in aileron push tube.

W

WayneJ

Member
On page 23-03 step 3 we are to sand the VA-111 Threaded Rod End for a tight slip fit into the CS-00012 Torque Tube. My parts have 0.010" clearance before any sanding is done so I can't have a "tight slip fit". With that much slop I'm not confident the rivets will pull things together. I thought about applying some tank sealant (since I'm building my tanks now too) but that doesn't seem quite right. Has anyone else had this and what did you do? Any suggestions?
 
You could put some metal tape around the VA-111.

Those pull rivets will take up any slop in the loose fit between the tube and the end fitting.
 
If you're inclined to glue something this important together, skip the ProSeal, and go with a structural adhesive.

Check the specs and follow their directions.

Some adhesives that might work for some situations might be:

3M Scotchweld 2216 or DP190
Hysol EA9430

Or from DMATTMUL (below):
Hysol 9460 and 9462 for more than 20 years for very critical applications. Read their published specs and the best feature is they are both thixotropic and will not sag so no filler is needed, great product. Cleans up with alcohol. (Before its cured)
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are many others.

Also, make sure that the gap you're filling is within the capability of the adhesive.

Some adhesives can be thickened with glass beads or aluminum powder to prevent sagging.
 
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Personally, I'd check with Vans for this one. This is your push rod! You should have multiple rod ends, two sides, two for each side. Are they all loose? If so, maybe the I.D. of the tube Vans sent is a little too large.
 
Check w/ Vans

Always a good idea but if so inclined I've been using Hysol 9460 and 9462 for more than 20 years for very critical applications. Read their published specs and the best feature is they are both thixotropic and will not sag so no filler is needed, great product. Cleans up with alcohol. (Before its cured)
 
Is that .010" per side? i.e. .020" difference in diameter? That's a lot. Mine were about .005" per side. Rivets pulled the tube up tight no problem.
 
WayneJ said:
On page 23-03 step 3 we are to sand the VA-111 Threaded Rod End for a tight slip fit into the CS-00012 Torque Tube. My parts have 0.010" clearance before any sanding is done so I can't have a "tight slip fit".
Click to expand...

Mine were exactly the same. I used some scotch tape to take out the slop for drilling, then once primed the slop was gone. In fact i had to remove primer inside the tube to get the end in at all - i removed the primer, then reinstalled the end with the primer still wet, then set the rivets. There's a video showing the slop before drilling in my blog post on this section:

https://tasrv14.blogspot.com/2021/12/12-03-04-aileron-pushrods.html
 
Sounds like I'm not the only one to find this loose condition. My gap is .01" total or .005" per side. Primer will certainly take up some of that and the rivets will likely pull the parts together. jcbarker had the same condition and the rivets closed up the gap. Although setting the first rivet will put all the clearance on the opposite side. Then rivet which hole next? Could make a difference (probably not). Primer will take up some of the clearance as TASEsq describes in his blog. I've never used Hysol but certainly better than the ProSeal that I suggested. I am probably overthinking this but the KAI describes a tight slip fit so down the rabbit hole I go. I sent an email to Van's support but no reply yet. Thanks for the replies.
 
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