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THE “AEROSPACE QUALITY” MYTH
In areas from hose ends to engine fasteners the terms
“Aerospace material and Aerospace Quality” have become buzz
words implying the very best in design, materials and quality
control.
“It isn’t necessarily so”, says Gary Holzapfel, founder and CEO
of Santa Paula, California based ARP, Inc. ARP (Automotive
Racing Products) supplies extremely high strength and fatigue
resistant threaded engine fasteners to NASCAR, IndyCar,
NHRA, ALMS and Formula -1 engine builders and manufactur-
ers. Holzapfel explained his reasons in an interview with Carroll
Smith.
Smith: “Gary, do you believe that the term “aerospace qual-
ity” is over rated in the specialty fastener industry?”
“Yes I do. First of all, the term is meaningless. Any AMS
(Aerospace Material Specification) material must be matched
to the specific application. As an example, some airframe bolts
(AN3-20) are legitimate “aerospace parts” and are very well suited
for the low stress applications for which they were designed. But
with a minimum ultimate tensile strength of 125,000 psi, and
a relatively low temperature limit, they would be completely
unsuitable for use in a racing engine.
We started out in the aerospace fastener business and we
understand it. That’s why we’re not in it any longer. What is not
generally understood about aerospace fasteners is that the fastener
manufacturers do not design the product. The nuts, bolts and
studs are spec’d by the airframe or engine designers and put out
for bid. As long as the supplier certifies that the product meets
the minimum requirement of the specification and it passes the
customer’s inspection procedures, low bid wins.”
Smith: “Are you implying that the aerospace fastener man-
ufacturers cut corners in order to win contracts?”
“No, it’s a matter of manufacturing goals and simple econom-
ics. The aerospace market is price dominated. In order to get the
contract, the fastener manufacturer’s goal is to meet the specifica-
tion at the least cost, not to produce the best possible part.
This means that they are going to use the least expensive steel
and manufacturing processes that will meet the specification.
There is nothing wrong with this approach.
It certainly does not mean that certified aerospace fasteners are
unsafe in any aspect. They will do the job for which they were
designed.
There is another factor. Airframe
and aircraft engine manufactur-
ers design their components to a
very high margin of safety. Further,
aerospace structures are designed to
be “fail safe.” There is a back up or
second line of defense for virtually
every structural component so that
an isolated failure will not lead to
disaster. They are also subjected to
frequent and rigorous inspections.”
Smith: “What’s different about
motor racing?”
“Quite a lot, really. While the
demands for strength, fatigue
resistance and quality control can
be similar, and the assembly and
inspection procedures in racing can
FASTENER TECH
This spring was wound
from un-shaved
material.
It failed on the
seam line.
There are many of us who can say we knew John Carroll
Smith in life.
Carroll Smith was known around the engineering shops
as a design and development engineer. He was known on
race circuits as a team manager, driver coach and racing
guru. And before that, he was known for his 30+ years of
racing experience, driving in SCCA events, as well as on cir-
cuits in Europe including the Targa Florio and Le Mans.
Even more of us know Carroll Smith through his books.
His “To Win” series of books brought technical acclaim
as they became staples for amateur and professional rac-
ers, while his “Engineer in Your Pocket” are today highly
regarded as engineering handbooks. We’re never surprised
to find his name on or featured in – books on race car
design, preparation, engineering and tuning.
Among his peers at the Society of Automotive Engineers,
he served as a judge for the Formula SAE competition.
One of his proudest honors was the Society’s Excellence in
Engineering Education award.
Carroll Smith was a race engineer and special motorsports
consultant with Automotive Racing Products for more than
decade. The pages of our catalog alone bear the mark of his
enormous contributions to our efforts.
Here at ARP, as elsewhere, Carroll Smith’s mission was
simple. He was determined to impart the encyclopedic
knowledge of racing and the machinery of racing that he
learned during those decades on the world’s racetracks,
around those shops and among his engineering peers.
He left us at ARP with a significant engineering inheri-
tance. Much of what we now know from Carroll will
ensure we remain the world leader in the field of racing
fasteners. It is our way of reciprocating for what he gave us
that we impart his expertise and experience in the form we
know best, superior engineered products.
As an engineer, Carroll Smith had successes in Formula
5000, numerous GT and sports car races, and with the
Ferrari Formula 1 team. He is best known, however, for
his work with Carroll Shelby and the Ford GT40 program
which he helped develop into a winner at Le Mans.
Ford has recently announced it is bringing back the
GT40, its signature race car and a vehicle which, even forty
years later, bears Carroll’s fingerprints. To those of us who
knew him in person and through his work, the return of the
GT40 is just another indicator of the enormous contribu-
tion to race engineering that John Carroll Smith continues
to make, even after his passing.
Carroll Smith passed away at his California home on
May 16, 2003, from pancreatic cancer.
JOHN CARROLL SMITH: A TRIBUTE
