Solution Description:

Enduralock offers the first self-aligning nut plate, which delivers a significant reduction in the time of panel installation and removal, as it allows for off-axis engagement of bolts. Its features provide for easy assembly and repurposing of subcomponents in space. It delivers reusability performance (minimum of 25 cycles), which is superior to conventional designs (15 cycles). It allows for a fixed retaining ring on the bolt, which dramatically reduces the chance of foreign object debris. It consists of a nut element, hex shaped shell body, plug and a spring. The outer shell can either be bonded or riveted to the substructure. The nut element assembled in the shell is positioned such that the hex flats in both the nut and the shell align in a parallel position, thus constraining the relative rotation of the nut and shell. The cylindrical spring positioned in the shell enables the nut to float in the axial direction and to tilt off its own axis. A ring plug, whose outer diameter is defined with tight tolerance in relation with its distance between the flats of the hex shaped shell body, is used to secure the nut and spring in the shell.