The wrenches most often used in aircraft maintenance are classified as open-end, box-end, socket, adjustable, ratcheting and special wrenches. The Allen wrench, although seldom used, is required on one special type of recessed screw. One of the most widely used metals for making wrenches is chrome-vanadium steel. Wrenches made of this metal are almost unbreakable. Solid, nonadjustable wrenches with open parallel jaws on one or both ends are known as open-end wrenches. These wrenches may have their jaws parallel to the handle or at an angle up to 90°; most are set at an angle of 15°. The wrenches are designed to fit a nut, bolt head, or other object, which makes it possible to exert a turning action.
Box-end wrenches are popular tools because of their usefulness in close quarters. They are called box wrenches since they box, or completely surround, the nut or bolt head. Practically all well-manufactured box-end wrenches are made with 12 points so they can be used in places having as little as 15° swing. In Figure 9-6, point A on the illustrated double broached hexagon wrench is nearer the centerline of the head and the wrench handle than point B, and also the centerline of nut C. If the wrench is inverted and installed on nut C, point A will be centered over side “Y" instead of side “X." The centerline of the handle will now be in the dotted line position. It is by reversing (turning the wrench over) the position of the wrench that a 15° arc may be made with the wrench handle.
Although box-end wrenches are ideal to break loose tight nuts or pull tight nuts tighter, time is lost turning the nut off the bolt once the nut is broken loose. Only when there is sufficient clearance to rotate the wrench in a complete circle can this tedious process be avoided.
After a tight nut is broken loose, it can be completely backed off or unscrewed more quickly with an openend than with a box-end wrench. In this case, a combination wrench can be used; it has a box end on one end and an open-end wrench of the same size on the other.
Another option for removing a nut from a bolt is the ratcheting box-end wrench, which can be swung back and forth to remove the nut or bolt. The box-end, combination, and ratcheting wrenches are shown in Figure 9-7.
A socket wrench is made of two parts: (1) the socket, which is placed over the top of a nut or bolt head, and (2) a handle, which is attached to the socket. Many types of handles, extensions, and attachments are available to make it possible to use socket wrenches in almost any location or position. Sockets are made with either fixed or detachable handles. Socket wrenches with fixed handles are usually furnished as an accessory to a machine. They have either a four, six, or twelve-sided recess to fit a nut or bolt head that needs regular adjustment.
Sockets with detachable handles usually come in sets and fit several types of handles, such as the T, ratchet, screwdriver grip, and speed handle. Socket wrench handles have a square lug on one end that fits into a square recess in the socket head. The two parts are held together by a light spring-loaded poppet. Two types of sockets, a set of handles, and an extension bar are shown in Figure 9-8.
The adjustable wrench is a handy utility tool that has smooth jaws and is designed as an open-end wrench. One jaw is fixed, but the other may be moved by a thumbscrew or spiral screwworm adjustment in the handle. The width of the jaws may be varied from 0 to 1/2 inch or more. The angle of the opening to the handle is 221/2 degrees on an adjustable wrench. One adjustable wrench does the work of several open-end wrenches. Although versatile, they are not intended to replace the standard open-end, box-end, or socket wrenches. When using any adjustable wrench, always exert the pull on the side of the handle attached to the fixed jaw of the wrench. To minimize the possibility or rounding off the fastener, use care to fit the wrench to the bolt or nut to be turned.
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