Dzus fastener

The DZUS® fasteners (gold coloured circular objects) fastening the cowling panels of the 1930s Hawker Hind

DZUS® turnlock fasteners—named after their inventor—William Dzus (pronounced "Zeus")[1] refers to a type of proprietary quarter-turn lock fastener that is often used to secure skin panels on aircraft and other high-performance vehicles. Turnlock fasteners are also referred to as quick-action panel fasteners.[2]

Invented and patented by an American engineer of Ukrainian descent William Dzus (Volodymyr Dzhus) in the early 1930s,[3] Dzus fasteners are also used to secure plates, doors, and panels that require frequent removal for inspection and servicing. These fasteners are notable in that they are of an "over-centre" design, requiring positive sustained torque to unfasten. Thus, any minor disturbance to the fastener will tend to correct itself rather than proceed to further loosening as it would in threaded fasteners. Turnlock fasteners are available in several different styles and are usually referred to by the manufacturer's trade name. Some of the most common are DZUS®, Camloc, and Airloc.[4]

Interesting History

The first Dzus fasteners installed on a race car were installed by the Justice Brothers, Ed Justice, Sr. and Zeke Justice while working at Kurtis-Kraft in Glendale, California. It was at the suggestion of Ed who was an A&E at Douglas Aircraft prior to World War II and had graduated from Fry Aircraft School in Kansas City, Kansas. The car the Dzus fasteners were installed upon was "Bullet" Joe Garson's Kurtis-Kraft midget. This was done while the shop owner Frank Kurtis was out of town. At first he was not happy with their alteration to his design, but later realize the benefit of using Dzus fasteners.

References

  1. ↑ "The History of West Islip: The Dzus Fastner Co. Inc.". "WestIslipPatch". Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  2. ↑ DFCI Company History
  3. ↑ "The History of West Islip: The Dzus Fastner Co. Inc.". "WestIslipPatch". Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  4. ↑ "MIL-F-25173A, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: FASTENER, CONTROL PANEL, AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT (16-FEB-1956)". Department of Defense. 16 Feb 1956. Retrieved 2013-09-16.

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