APPLICATIONS
Self-Locking Nut

Industry Co., Ltd.

HARDLOCK Nut (HLN)

HARDLOCK NUT
1● Safety is Power! The Worlds Strongest Self-locking Nut!
● From Industrial Machinery, Mining Equipment to Bridges and Railways,
100% corresponding to the needs of a variety of fields.

The Globally Recognized HARDLOCK Nut
Utilizing the wedge principle used in ancient Japanese architecture, the HLN is theultimate self-locking nut which perfectly succeeds to integrate the nuts with the bolt.
[MAIN FEATURES]■ Self-locking Effect Recognized by the World!
HARDLOCK Nut also passed theUnited States NAS (National AerospaceStandard) Aviation Standards.

■ Enables Torque and Axial Force Control!
Controlling axial force with proper
torque wherever it is used.

■ Reusable!

All metal with little abrasion, sustains
a high self-locking effect.

■ Excellent and Simple Workability!

Easy installation with commerciallyavailable tools.

■ Provides Substantial Cost Savings!

Allows significant reduction in total cost by
reducing maintenance costs, labor costs etc.

Self-locking Design
The design is based on the traditional Japanese "Wedge" principle!

Principle
Wedge

Strike the wedge with a hammer

NUT consists of two nuts, the (1) nut
1 HARDLOCK
Convex Nut (ﬁxing nut) has a truncated protrusion

arranged oﬀ-center on the upper part, the (2) nut
Concave Nut (locking nut) is designed with aconcentric conical depression for locking the two nuts
together. By tightening the concave nut onto theconvex nut, a strong perpendicular load will be applied
to the bolt from both sides.

❷aSource of thelocking eﬀect!
Push the wedge with a nut❷❶❶
Due to the strong locking force created by the Wedge of the2 HARDLOCK NUT, no matter if it is exposed to severe
Integrate the wedge with the nut

vibrations and/or impacts the HARDLOCK NUT will stay intact

Industry Co., Ltd.
応用Installation Procedure
1

2

Install the Convex Nut (Fixing Nut) to the fitting
member manually, by hand.

4

3

Use a tightening tool (Spanner, Torque
Wrench etc.) to tighten the Convex Nut to theappropriate torque required for the application.

At this point, the Convex Nut has exactly thesame strength as a general-purpose nut.

5

Install the Concave Nut onto the Convex Nut byhand. make sure that the space between the 2nuts is about 1 thread pitch.

6

Use a torque wrench to tighten the Concave Nutto the torque value set by HARDLOCK Industry
Co., Ltd. Or about 1 turn with a spanner.

After installing, a gap may occur due to the bolts toleranceclass. However, if tightened correctly by following the installation
procedure, the HLN will produce a sufficient locking effect.

Attention
Torque and Axial Force Control is only possible with the HARDLOCK Nut!
HARDLOCK Nut is not affected by external vibration impact whatsoever, and allows torque and axial
force control under very severe conditions.
The Concave Nut will completely lock the Convex nut in the state and maintain the torque and axial
force which it was initially installed with even if their value was low.
① Superior Self-locking effect ② Torque & Axial force control ③ Re-usability. The ultimate self-locking
nut with these features is only the HARDLOCK Nut.

Testing
Impact Vibration Test Complying to NAS 3350/3354
TEST SAMPLE CONDITIONS
Spring washer + Single
nut
20
Size
M12x1.75
Double nuts
30
Material
SS400
Nylon nut
60
FinishTongued washer +Trivalent
Single nut Chromate
90
Split pin + Castle 40
nut Nm360
Torque1,780c.p.m
11mm
19mm
19.5GaLooseningTime
30 secLooseningTime
60 secSpring washer+ Single nut

VibraƟon Time
1020 sec (17
min)

1300

Vibration frequency
Vibration stroke
Impact stroke
Accelerated vibration
LooseningTime
20 sec14

No loosening
Test aborted

Double nuts

Nylon nut

LooseningTime
360 sec
LooseningTime
90 secTonguedwasher +Single nut

Split pin +Castle nut

HARDLOCK
NUT

12Bolt Clamp Load (kN)

HARDLOCK NUT

Junker Test

• Test Sample
Size
Material
Class4
Initial Preload10
8: M10xP1.5: Low carbon Steel /: 13 kN• Vibration Strokes : ± 0.75
Velocity : 20 Hz
Cycles : 1000 cycles

6

HARDLOCK NUT
Single nut (SN)4

Double nuts
Spring washer+SN2

Nylon nut
0

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Number of Cycles

Total Cost Comparison (Certain Railway Company)
Cost ΈIndexΉ
5

3 year labor cost

4
3
2

2 year labor cost
2.45

1 year labor cost
1.6

1

1.5

Material cost
10Single nut +Single nut +Plain washer
Springwasher +Plain washer

Double nuts

HARDLOCK
NUT

Industry Co., Ltd.

2COMPANY OUTLINECOMPANY NAMEHARDLOCK INDUSTRY CO., LTD.

ESTABLISHED

April, 1974

PAID IN CAPITAL

JPY 10 million

ANNUAL TURNOVER

JPY 1.5 billion

DIRECTOR

Katsuhiko Wakabayashi

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

70

HEAD OFFICE

1-6-24, Kawamata, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, Japan 577-0063

TOKYO BRANCH

3F, Higashi-Ueno Sanwa Building, 2-5-9, Higashi Ueno,
Taito, Japan 110-0015

OVERSEAS DISTRIBUTORS

6 countries

MAIN LINES OF BUSINESSManufacture and sale of the self-locking products.
HLN : HARDLOCK NUT
HLB : HARDLOCK BEARING NUT
HLS : HARDLOCK SET SCREW* All products patented

CERTIFICATEJIS Q9100 : 2009 (AS 9100)
ISO 9001 : 2008 (JIS Q 9001 : 2008)

MAIN USERS【Domestic】
East Japan Railway Company
Central Japan Railway Company
West Japan Railway Company
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd.
TOSHIBA CORPORATIONIHI Corporation
NIPPON STEEL ＆ SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATIONJFE Steel Corporation
Kobe Steel,Ltd.
【Overseas】
China Railway High-speed (China)
Network Rail (UK)
Taiwan High Speed Rail (Taiwan)
Queensland Rail (Australia)
Hyundai Rotem (Korea)
POSCO (Korea)
HOERBIGER (Austria)
Vale (Brasil)
Anglo American (Brasil)
Samarco (Brasil)

3

Industry Co., Ltd.

COMPANY HISTORY
Apr. 1974

HARDLOCK Industry Co., Ltd. was established in Nagata, Joto-ku, Osaka.
Manufacturing and Sales of the HARDLOCK Nut was commenced.

Oct. 1980

A UK Market distributor for the HARDLOCK Industry Co., Ltd. was established.

Apr. 1985

The HARDLOCK Nut was adopted in the Tokaido Shinkansen 100-series cars.

Jun. 1992

HARDLOCK Industry Co., Ltd. was requested by Hitachi Ltd. to manufacture
HARDLOCK Nuts for adopting in their heavy electrical machinery in a certified
nuclear power plant.

Oct, 2000

Due to demands for the HARDLOCK Nut overseas, the foreign trade department
was established.

Mar. 2003

4 million units of HARDLOCK Nut was adopted in various locations in the
Taiwan high-speed rail.

Sept. 2003

Distributor for the Korean market was established in Seoul.

Oct. 2003

HARDLOCK Industry Co., Ltd. acquired certification for rail tracks in the UK
railway of Network Rail.

Nov. 2003

Acquired certification ISO9001: 2000 from the German Organization TÜV.

Dec. 2003

Acquired certification for railway in Queensland and Victoria, Australia.
(Certification Number : C0054)

Jul. 2005

Announce research thesis on HARDLOCK Nut locking effect at ASME PVP 2005.

Dec. 2006

BBC channel 1 introduces the effectiveness of HARDLOCK Nut loosening in a programon railway accidents, leading to increased use in the railway industry.

Sept. 2011

Received JISQ 9100 : 2009 certification for Quality Management Systems
in the aerospace and defense industries.

Mar. 2014

The HARDLOCK Nut was officially adopted by Vale S.A. in Brasil to increase safety andworkability in the Mining and Earth Moving industry.

Kings Place 90 York Way
LondonN1 9AG
Tel: +44 (0) 207 557 9283
Fax:+44 (0) 207 557 9131

Michael Moore
Staytite Limited
Staytite House
Coronation Road
Cressex Business Park
High Wycombe
HP12 3RP
11th September 2008
Dear Michael
Re: M20 Hardlock Nuts for Fixed Stretcher Bars
In July 2008 Network Rail identified Hardlock nuts as a high performance fastening system
to be used on revised full depth stretcher bars which will be used extensively throughout the
UK rail network. This has followed on from the successful use of M30 Hardlock nuts on
adjustable stretcher bars which have been in widespread use since October 2003.
Staytite Limited worked with Network Rail to advise, design and supply a modified
Hardlock nut to meet our requirements.
The revised specification of this new M20 Hardlock nut required a taller, inner, male nut tobetter accommodate standards tools without the risk of slipping and rounding the cornersof nuts in restricted locations such as a connection through the web of a switch rail. This was
also important if components subsequently had to be dismantled during routine
maintenance allowing the inner, male nut to be securely held while removing the outer,female nut without risk of damage. The outer female nut was also modified to incorporate asmall flange on the underside of the nut to prevent a socket when applied to this outer nut
from accidentally engaging with the inner male nut ensuring that the required torque can beeasily applied to the outer female nut during installation.
Staytite provided advice and guidance in a prompt and professional way enabling theselection of a revised fastening system to be progressed within set timescales to thesatisfaction of all parties involved.
Yours sincerely

Brian Whitney
Principal Rail Management Engineer
Network Rail

Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd Registered Office Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9AG Registered in England and Wales No. 2904587 www.networkrail.co.uk

Industry Co., Ltd.

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1

ENERGY / POWER

A P P L I C AT I O N S[MAIN APPLICATIONS]◦Wind PowerP owerGenerator・Decelerator
CableRacksinTurbineTowersEtc.

◦Solar PowerS
 olarPanelMountingEtc.

◦Thermal Power GenerationD esulfurizationEquipment
HopperLinerStops・BucketConveyorsEtc.

◦Nuclear PowerP owerPlantInstrumentation・Piping
ReactorFiltrationMachine
NuclearReactorControlMountingEtc.

Wind Turbine Tower

Wind Turbine Tower Internal Piping

Thermal Power Plant

Dam

Solar Panel Mounting

Nuclear Power Plant

5

Industry Co., Ltd.

Solar Power

Piping in Power Plant

2

A P P L I C AT I O N SMINING & EARTH MOVING【MAIN APPLICATIONS】◦Processing Machinery ibratingScreen
V
BreakerConveyerSystem
GridCar◦Heavy Machinery ff-RoadTruck
O
Dozer
BucketWheelExcavator◦Freight Railway
 agonW
WagonRotator
Fishplate
Crossing

Pendulum securing

Coupling fastening

Caterpillar treads securing

Bucket securing

Tire securing

Industry Co., Ltd.

6

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3

A P P L I C AT I O N S

RAILWAY (ROLLING STOCK)[MAIN APPLICATIONS]◦Shinkansen (Bullet Train) /Conventional Trains / MonorailV ariousEquipmentMountingforTrains
VariousControlDeviceMountingBearingBox
TightCouplerDiscBreak
DriveUnitCouplingPortion
Suspension/HydraulicDamperPortion
AutomaticDoorUnitEtc.

Shinkansen E5 Series (Bullet Train)

Taiwan Shinkansen 700T (Bullet Train)

Shinkansen N700 (Bullet Train)

UK Express 395 Series

New Transport System

Tight Coupler

Bearing Box

Various Mounting for Carriage Section

Disc Break

Shinkansen Equipment Mounting

7

Industry Co., Ltd.

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A P P L I C AT I O N S

RAILWAY (INFRASTRUCTURE)[MAIN APPLICATIONS]◦Railway (Power) teelColumnFlangeStop
S
StationaryBeam
OverheadLineBracket・Band
Etc.

◦Railway (Signal)◦Railway (Track)

RailJoint/InsulationSeamBolt
SplinterwithVariousBolts
RailFasteningDevice
DerailmentPreventionGuard
Etc.

◦Railway (Construction)
AutomaticTrainStop(ATS)
ImpedanceBond
RailwayStationEquipmentRailroadSwitchMovingPortion StationBuildingRoofControlEquipmentBoxinTerminal Shinkansen/ConventionalLineSoundproofWallEtc.
Etc.

Steel Column Flange Stop

Impedance Bond

Beam and Movable Bracket Band Stop

Terminal Attachment

Derailment Preventive Guard

Rail Joint

Fish Plate

Automatic Train Stop (ATS)

Railroad Switch Moving Portion

Industry Co., Ltd.

8

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5

BRIDGEA P P L I C AT I O N S[MAIN APPLICATIONS]

BridgeAncillaryEquipmentJointPortion
PipingFlangePortion
InspectionPassage
Long-spanBridgeIlluminationEquipment
MaintenanceVehicleEquipmentforInspection
InformationBoard
PedestrianBridge
FallingObjectsPreventionEquipment
GeneralRoadEquipmentWater Supply Plumbing (Akashi Kaikyo Bridge)

Long-span Bridge Ancillary Equipment Joint

9

Industry Co., Ltd.

Long-span Bridge Road Equipment

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6

HIGHWAYA P P L I C AT I O N S[MAIN APPLICATIONS]RoadJoints
SoundproofWallJoint
Sound-absorbingPanels
IlluminatingEquipmentandBasePlate
DirectionBoard
JetFaninTunnelsGratingJoint
GuardRailJoint
ETC(ElectronicTollCollection)Board・InformationBoard
StormDrainCoverSecuring

Various Soundproof Walls

Lighting Columns Anchor Portion (Metropolitan Expressway)

Aluminum Highway Fence (Second Tomei Expressway)

Sound-Absorbing Panels

Industry Co., Ltd.

10

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7

A P P L I C AT I O N S

VEHICLES[MAIN APPLICATIONS]◦Specially Equipped
Vehicle◦Amusement RideE ngineTransmissionDamper&Trunnion
FrameBracketMounting
Etc.

◦BuggyW heelAxleSprocketStopper
EnginestarterEtc.

RollerCoasterWheelAxis
RailJoint
CoasterSheetJoint◦Transport Equipment

 orkliftWheelAxisPortion
F
Etc.

◦Ship

InternalCombustionEngineSystem
InboardHydraulicTubeFlange
Etc.
Specially Equipped Vehicle

Frame Mounting

Sprocket Stopper

Buggy

Ship Engine

LNG ShipConcrete Pump Truck

Guide Roller

11

Industry Co., Ltd.

Wheel Axis Stopper

Forklift

8

A P P L I C AT I O N S

MACHINERY[MAIN APPLICATIONS]CementMill(LinerStopper)
ConcreteMixer(Decelerator)
PowerCylinder(DriveShaftStopper)
Excavator(DrillDriveShaftStopper)
RockDrillingMachine(HydraulicBreakerStopper)
Agitator(ImpellerStopper)
LargeHydraulicPress(CylinderUnit,Etc.)
Compressor(AxisStopper)
Pump(ImpellerStopper)
TappingMachine(BallScrew)
InjectionMoldingMachine
SteelMakingMachinery(StraighteningRollStopper)
ConveyorRollers
IndustrialRobotArmPortion
Die-castingMachine(CorePinStopper)
Etc.
Injection Molding Machine

Steel Making Machinery (Straightening Roll Stopper)
ライナー止めExcavator

Cement Mill
Hydraulic Breaker Tie Rod Stopper

Compressor

Pump

Impeller Stopper

Industry Co., Ltd.

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9

Construction

A P P L I C AT I O N S[MAIN APPLICATIONS]H
 igh-riseBuildingBondingPortion
High-riseBuildingAncillaryEquipment
High-riseBuildingCurtainWallPortion
ExteriorWall(Panel)Mounting
Turnbuckle
DomeSteelFrameJoint
StoneWallPitching
FacilityRoofingTopLightFastening
Sanitation&ElectricalEquipmentEtc.

High-Rise Building Exterior Wall & Curtain Wall

Tokyo Sky Tree

Metal Frame Joint

Yurikamome Station Roof

13

Industry Co., Ltd.

Osaka Station Renewal

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10

A P P L I C AT I O N SPYLONS[MAIN APPLICATIONS]◦Communication Towers

SteelTowerConnectingPortion
GeneralAncillaryEquipment
DigitalFrameMounting
Etc.

◦Transmission Tower

SteelTowerConnectionPortion
PipeJumperPart
InsulatorsFasteningPortion
Etc.

Transmission Tower

Communication Tower

Joint (Angle/Pipe)

Joint (Angle/Pipe)

Transmission Line Tower Pipe Jumper

Communication Tower Digital Frame Portion

Industry Co., Ltd.

14

Improvement Case

1. Car & Motorcycle

2. Specially Equipped Vehicle▲EngineTransmission▲TrunnionPortion

HLN

SUV
Engine Transmission

Before●F langed Nuts were utilized in the engine transmissionsofSUVs●LooseningofnutsoccurredfrequentlywhenstartingtheengineandmanySUVshadtoberecalled.

After●B y switching from Flanged Nuts to HARDLOCK
Nutsthelooseningproblemwasresolved.
●B y  u t i l i z i n g  H A R D L O C K  N u t  t h e  l o o s e n i n g
occurring when starting the engine were also
resolved.

15

PRODUCTS

HLBSpecially equipped
vehicle trunnion fixing

Before●Doublebearingnutswereusedasacountermeasureforloosening●T he double bearing nuts were tightened by the“double nut method”. However, loosening occurredduetothevariationintighteningforce.

After●B y adopting the HARDLOCK Bearing Nut, theworkabilitywasimprovedandthelooseningproblemwassolved.
●By switching to HARDLOCK Nut, the maintenance
costsweresignificantlyreduced

Major Loosening Cause

Major Loosening Cause●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the rotational
direction of the bolts axis

●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the rotational
direction of the bolt axis

Industry Co., Ltd.

Improvement Casemachinery and3. Construction
agriculture machinery

PRODUCTS

4. Robot▲HydraulicBreaker

HLN Hydraulic Breaker
Before●Loosening caused by severe impact vibration from
crushing operations at mines and large quarries
occurred on a regular basis. Double nuts were usedand carried out a high-torque fastening and dropout
preventionmeasures,buttheproblemwasnotsolved.

After●B y introducing HARDLOCK Nut, axial forcemanagement by proper torque and loosening
preventionwasachieved

IndustrialRobot▲

HLB

Industrial Robot
Arm Joint

Before●Prevailingtorquetypeself-lockingnutswhereusedwerein the arm portion, but iron powder produced by thefrictionbetweenthenutandshaftcausedpoormovability.
●Torque control was difficult with prevailing torque
typeself-lockingnutsandtherewasaproblemwith
varietyinaxialforce.

After●B y switching to HARDLOCK Bearing Nut theproblemwithshaftdamagewasresolved.
●Axial force management by proper torque combined
with elimination of loosening improved the product
performanceoftheindustrialrobots.

Major Loosening Cause

Major Loosening Cause●Loosening due to cyclic stressin the direction perpendicularof the bolts axis

●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the rotational
direction of the bolt axis

Industry Co., Ltd.

16

Improvement Case

5. Conveyance Equipment▲RailFasteningPortion

HLN

Indoor Overhead /Bridge Cranes

Before●P revailing torque nuts where used for indoor
overhead cranes. However, due to excessivevibrationloadstheybecamelooseonaregularbasis.
●Due to the everyday loosening, re-tightening works
etc.,maintenancecostwasincreasedimmensely.

After●By changing to HARDLOCK Nuts, loosening in thefasteningportionsofthecraneswaseliminated.
●A s a result, stable operations and reduction in
maintenanceworkleadtosignificantcostsavings.

17

PRODUCTS

6. Iron & Steel▲MillRoll

HLB

Steelwork
Equipment Lines

Before●To prevent loosening at steelwork equipment lines, theshaftshaskeygroovesandisfastenedwithbothtoothed
washersandnutsaswellasweldinginsomeinstances.
●In recent years, steelwork facilities are continuing
withafire-freeworkenvironment.Therefore,weldingandsuchotherprocedureshavebeenminimalized.

After●WhenusingHARDLOCKBearingnuts,iteliminatestheneedtousetoothedwashers,keygroovesandwelding
procedures,significantlyimprovingtheworkability.
●Eliminating the need for welding procedures, the
HARDLOCK products creates a safe, fire-free work
environment.

Major Loosening Cause

Major Loosening Causes●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the direction
perpendicular of the bolt axis

●Loosening due to cyclic stress in therotational direction of the bolt axis
●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular of the bolt axis

Industry Co., Ltd.

Improvement Case

7. Industrial machinery

PRODUCTS

8. Fluid Equipment▲Die-castMachine

HLS

Die-Casting Core
Pin Stopper

Before●Conventionally,spotwelding,boltfasteningmethodofplates and nesting method were used to prevent thecorepintorecedefromthepressureduringmolding.
●Reduceddiestrengthandworktimewasaproblemwiththeconventionalpinretractionpreventionmeasures.

After◀Impeller

HLN Impeller Pump
Before●Vibrationinthepumpduetohighspeedrotationin
theimpellershaftcasedloosening.
●Castellated nuts and other self-locking components
were used, but this did not completely resolveloosening.

After●B y switching to HARDLOCK Set Screw, preventing
retractionofthecorepinwasachievedbyonlytighteningtheHARDLOCKSetScrew,noothermeasurementswerenecessary.Italsocontributedtoreducemoldingcosts.
●PriortoswitchingtoHARDLOCKSetScrewsittookmorethan12
hourstoreplacethecorepin,butafterswitchingtoHARDLOCKSetScrew,thesameworkwasreducedtoapproximately3hours.

●Switching to HARDLOCK Nut also prolonged theproductlife.

Major Loosening Cause

Major Loosening Cause●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the direction of
the bolt axis

●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the rotational
direction of the bolt axis

●A fter switching to HARDLOCK Nut vibrationlooseningduetohighspeedrotationwascompletely
eliminated, as well as significant decrease in
periodicmaintenancecosts.

Industry Co., Ltd.

18

Improvement Case

9. Heavy Electrical Plant▼PipingSupport

HLN

Nuclear Power
Plant Reactor Core

Before●Double nuts were used in the fixed stand of thereactorcoreandpipingsupportsinthepowerplant.
Retightening work and maintenance were requiredonadailybasisduetofrequentloosening.
●Sincenuclearpowerplantsarelargeinsizeandplaces
where nuts are used are plenty, huge amounts of
maintenancecostandmaintenancetimewasnecessary.

After●HARDLOCK Nut demonstrated superior self-locking
performanceandpreventionofloosening.

19

PRODUCTS

10. Watercraft▼ShipEngine

HLN

Ship Internal
Combustion Engine

Before●Double nuts where used on the internal combustion
enginesoftheship,looseningduetothermalexpansionandseverevibrationoccurredonadailybasis.
●Retightening work had to be made frequently andan enormous amount of time and cost was spentonmaintenance.

After●B y switching to HARDLOCK Nut with special
coating, Loosening due to vibration and/or thermal
expansionwaseliminated.●S afety in the nuclear power plant facilities
i n c r e a s e d ,  t i m e  s p e n t  o n  m a i n t e n a n c e  a n dmaintenancecostwasreducedimmensely.

●Significant reduction in maintenance cost as well
asretighteningwork.

Major Loosening Causes

Major Loosening Causes●Loosening due to micro-motion
abrasion●Loosening due to thermalcauses●Loosening due to micro-motion abrasion

Industry Co., Ltd.

●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular to the bolt axis
●Loosening due to thermal expansion

Improvement Case

11. Highway / Roads

PRODUCTS

12. Bridge▲RoadPlates◀PierCoverPlate
Mounting

HLN

Road Plates
Fastening Portion

Before●Countermeasuressuchasweldingandinsertionofcushioningmaterialstoreducevibrationintheroadplateswerecarried
out. However, due to poor welding and replacement of
cushioningmaterialwork,bothoptionswereunsatisfactory.
●A nother serious problem was the noise control due to
collisionoftheroadplatswhenvehiclespassedoverthem.

After●By switching to HARDLOCK Nut in the connection
portionoftheroadplates,problemssuchasloosening
wereeliminated.

HLN

D Runway expansion
D Runway Expansion

Before●During the construction of the titanium panel on
artificialgroundsrearsurfaceoftheoffshoreairport,
prevailingtorqueself-lockingnutswerestudied.
●Sincetheprevailingtorquetypeself-lockingnutscausedscratchesonthebolt(peelingofftheplating),rustoccurrencewasaseriousproblem
andconcernsregardingsafetyandcorrosionresistancearose.

After●B yswitchingfromprevailingtorquetypeself-lockingnutstoHARDLOCK
Nuts,problemsrelatedtoboltdamageandcorrosionwereeliminated.●A dditionally, the noise generated when vehicles
pass over the road plates was eliminated and
overallcostswerereduced.

●Loosening due to severe vibration in the pier cover plates
during landing and take-off of aircrafts were eliminated,
HARDLOCKNutalsocorrespondedtothe100yearwarranty
requestedbytheMinistryofLand,InfrastructureandTransport.

Major Loosening Cause

Improvement Case

●Loosening due to cyclic
stress in the direction
perpendicular to the bolt axis

●Loosening due to micro-motion
abrasion●Loosening due to cyclic stressin the direction of the bolt axis
Industry Co., Ltd.

20

Improvement Case

PRODUCTS

and13. Architecture
Construction Equipment

14. Electrical Equipment◀ExteriorWall
Mounting

HLN

Exterior Wall ofHigh-rise Buildings

Before●A luminum curtain walls where mounted on theexterior walls of high-rise buildings with metallic
fastener, but due to the high torque required to
tightenthemetallicfasteners,itcausedexpansionofthealuminumwhichwouldcauseaspecificsound.

After●ByswitchingtoHARDLOCKNut,axialforcecontroldue to proper torque was achieved and the sound
phenomenonwaseliminated.

21◀DistributionBoards

HLN Distribution Board
Before●Doublenutsorspringwasherwereused,loosening
duetovibrationcausedduringproducttransportation
wasaregularoccurrence.
●Loosening after installation due to micro-vibration
duringoperationoccurredonadailybasis.

After●B y switching to HARDLOCK Nut, due to proper
torque control, loosening during transportation and/oroperationwaseliminated.
●Significant savings in labor was achieved due to
eliminatingre-tighteningwork.

Major Loosening Causes

Major Loosening Cause●Loosening due to cyclic stressin the direction perpendicular
to the bolts axis
●Loosening due to thermal causes●Loosening due to micro-motion
abrasion

Industry Co., Ltd.

Improvement Case

15. Pylons

PRODUCTS

16. Environmental Equipment

CableRackinTurbineTowers▶
ConnectingPortion▶

HLN Communication Towers
Before●Otherself-lockingdoublenutswereusedintheconnection
portion in communication towers, however, due to loads
generated by wind and vibration that occurs on a daily
basis,theaxialforcewasloweredandlooseningoccurred.●R e-tightening work from maintenance personal and
routinemaintenancecostwasrequiredtobereduced.

After

HLN

Transmission Equipment
in Wind Turbine Towers

Before●Windturbinetowersareinstalledinareaswheretherearestrongwinds, due to the irregular stress induced by strong winds,
common double nuts and/or spring washers were not able to
producesignificantlockingeffectandeliminateloosening.
●Nylonnutswereusedinthefasteningportionsofwiringcableracks,laddersetc.insideofwindturbinetowers,however,duetothevibrationcausedbytherotationoftheblades(wings)theNylonnutsbecamelooseonaregularbasis.

After●HARDLOCK Nut demonstrated a powerful seismic
performanceandwasthereforereplacingpreviousselflockingnutsandadoptedincommunicationtowers.
●Byeliminatingretighteningworkandtheneedforroutine
torquemeasurementsafterswitchingtoHARDLOCKNut,
asignificantreductioninmaintenancecostswasachieved.

●ByswitchingtoHARDLOCKNut,duetosuccessfulaxialforcecontrolandpropertorque,looseningwas
eliminated.

Major Loosening Causes

Major Loosening Causes●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular to the bolt axis
●Loosening due to cyclic stress in therotational direction of the bolt axis
●Loosening due to excessive external force●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular to the bolt axis
●Loosening due to micro-motion abrasion●R e g u l a r  m a i n t e n a n c e  w o r k  a n d  e q u i p m e n tmaintenancecostwassignificantlyreduced.

Industry Co., Ltd.

22

Improvement Case

/ Amusement
17. Playground
Park Equipment

PRODUCTS

18. Railway（1）▼ShinkansenTightCoupler▲GuideRollerPortion

HLB

Roller Coaster
Wheel Axis Stopper

Before●R oller coasters and many other attractions use
double nuts or split pins for their application.
However, due to the hole in the shaft required for
the split pin, the shafts strength is reduced and
couldendupbreaking.

After●ByswitchingtoHARDLOCKNut,duetosuccessfulaxial force control the maintenance cost was
reducedsignificantly.

23

HLN

Shinkansen (Bullet Train)
Tight Coupler

Before●In high speed rail cars, repeated impact of the rail
couplingcausesthenuttoloosenandmayevenrisk
detachment.Damagetofrictionringalsocausesthenuttoloosen.

After●Additionally, no hole was required in the shaft andtheproblemwithweakenshaftwaseliminated.

●ByusingtheHARDLOCKNut,evenunderrepeated
impact,looseningispreventedanddetachmentdoes
notoccur.Breakageofthefrictionringiseliminated
byusingtheHARDLOCKNutandhasbeenadopted
bymanyrailcarmanufacturers.

Major Loosening Causes

Major Loosening Causes●Loosening due to cyclic stress in therotational direction of the bolt axis
●Loosening due to cyclic stress inthe direction of the bolt axis

●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction of the bolt axis
●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular of the bolt axis

Industry Co., Ltd.

Improvement Case

19. Railway（2）PRODUCTS

20. Detached Housing▲RailroadSwitch▲SteelFramejoint

HLN

Railroad Switch
Switch Adjuster

Before●Whenatrainpasses,aforceof500Gisappliedtotheswitch,andevenspeciallyshapeddoublenutsusedonthemovablepartscanbecomelooseonadailybasis.
●Whiletheswitch(movablepart)isessentialtomaintain
thetrackgauge,itisextremelydifficulttomaintainthegaugeofthetrackwhilepreventingloosening.

After

HLN

Light-gauge steel frame
joints for Detached housing

Before●C onventionally,basedontheBuildingStandards
Law,SingleNutsandSpringWasherswasgoingto be used in the Light-gauge Steel Joint as a
countermeasureforloosening.

After●ByusingtheHARDLOCKNut,themaintenancecostassociated
withinspectionandre-tighteningwassuccessfullyreduced.
●The HARDLOCK Nut successfully maintained the gauge
of the track and prevents loosening simultaneously. As aresult,theHARDLOCKNuthasbeenadoptedbyallrailway
companiesinJapan.●A f t e r  t h e  G r e a t  E a s t  J a p a n  E a r t h q u a k e  i n
2011, the HARDLOCK Nut usage increased
significantly in the Smart House Building Frame
Jointstofurtherimprovesafety

Major Loosening Causes

Major Loosening Causes●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction of the bolt axis
●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular of the bolt axis

●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction of the bolt axis
●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the
direction perpendicular of the bolt axis
Industry Co., Ltd.

24

Improvement Case

PRODUCTS

21. MINING EQUIPMENT

Pendulum Fastening for Vibration Screens
Before●Conventinally, General Hex Nuts were used for fastening the Pendulum portion on the Vibration Screens.
●However, due to severe vibration, re-torquing work was performed at least once every 45 days.

After●By switching to HARDLOCK Nut, re-torquing work was reduced to only once in over a years time.
●The plants operating rate and productivity was dramatically improved, along with a significant reduction in maintenanceand labor costs

Major Loosening Cause●Loosening due to cyclic stress in the direction perpendicular of thebolts axis

25

Industry Co., Ltd.

Safety is Power

Industry Co., Ltd.

Head Oﬃce : 1-6-24, Kawamata, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, Japan 577‑0063
TEL : +81-6-6784-1131 FAX : +81-6-6784-1161
Tokyo Oﬃce : 2-5-9, Higashi-Ueno, Taito, Tokyo, Japan 110‑0015
TEL : +81-3‑3833‑1491 FAX : +81-3‑3833‑1438
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