Heard a lead tell an apprentice 'stop torquing bolts like you're mad at them' and it stuck with me

I was helping on a C-check last Thursday and one of the senior guys told this new kid to back off on a landing gear bolt, said over-torquing stretches threads and causes cracks later on. Made me think about how many times I've probably done the same thing without realizing it. Anyone else catch themselves using too much muscle when a torque wrench setting would do?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese1241mo ago

Over torquing is a real thing but honestly some of these torque specs feel like they were pulled out of a hat. I've seen brand new bolts snap at the exact torque setting from the manual. Tight is tight and loose is loose, you know? There's a middle ground between hulk smashing it and being too gentle where it backs off during taxi. The old timers act like every bolt is a Faberge egg but I've had more troubles with under torqued fasteners than over torqued ones.

lucasjackson1mo ago

Man you couldn't be more wrong on this one. Torque specs exist for a reason especially on aircraft where a bolt that's too tight can stretch and fail mid flight. I've seen cracked cylinder heads from guys who thought "tight enough" meant another half turn. The old timers who treat bolts like eggs are the ones whose stuff actually holds up over time. Under torqued fasteners can cause issues sure but an over torqued bolt that snaps on approach is a whole different level of bad day. The manual writers didn't just guess those numbers they tested them.