Q: I have a lightweight application that requires high strength. I’ve tried aluminum screws because I thought they were ultra lightweight but after breaking I increased my bolt size and now I have more weight and still breakage. No sure what to do.
A: Yes aluminum is a lightweight material bolting but the problem is depending on the grade it may not be very strong. In contrast a titanium screw is 1/2 the weight of 316 steel, yet 4x stronger. Though titanium screws will weigh 40% more the aluminum, they are immensely stronger (especially Titanium Gr5 – 6Al-4V ) so you will be able to use a much smaller screw and perhaps, depending on your design, less screws (so less weight), yet delivering increased strength.