Year: 1886

page_text: I HENRY WHITELEY MORROW of 808 Market Street in the City of Wilmington
County of Newcastle, State of Delaware United States of America Gentleman do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
-
My invention relates to locking washers or nuts made of layers of paper or other
fibrous material chemically treated and compressed so as to cause the layers to
adhere this material being known under various names such as "Celluvert'
"Vulcanized Fibre" "Gelatinized fibre " " Leathersia ""Parchment paper" &°.
"
The object of my Invention is to make a washer or nut of such material that
said washer or nut will cling tightly to the bolt or other device to which it is
applied:
In the accompanying drawing:-
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a washer constructed in accordance with my
Invention.
Figure 2 a face view of the same.
Figure 3 a sectional view shewing another form of washer or nut also in
accordance with my Invention' and.
Figure 4 a transverse section on the line 1. 2 figure 3:
Hitherto in making washers or nuts of chemically treated fibrous material it has
been usual to punch or otherwise cut the nuts or washers from sheets or slabs of
said material and in consequence the layers of the material and the direction of the
fibre in the nut or washer have been transverse and in the same plane as the face
of the nut or washer-As the material when subjected to the action of water or the
vapor of water swells or expands in a direction transversely to the direction in
which the fibre lays it follows that such nuts or washers are simply increased in
thickness by this expansion.
I make a nut or washer in which the expansion of the fibre due to the moistening
of the same is utilized to insure the locking of the nut or washer to the bolt or
other stem to which it is applied and with this end in view I make the nut or
washer by coiling the chemically treated paper, or other fibrous material on a
mandrel the diameter of which is governed by the size of opening desired until
ID Q17

page_text: .
a roll having the desired number of layers is produced the preferable plan being to
roll the paper or other material in the form of a tube and then to cut said tube
into pieces of a proper size for the production of the nuts or washers.
Said nut or washer will consequently have the layers of fibre disposed as a flat
helix and in lines practically concentric with the axis hence any expansion of the
fibre due to the moistening of the same will tend to cause it to expend or swell
radially that is to say in the direction of the arrows shewn in figure 1 so that it
will bind firmly upon the bolt or other stem to which it is applied the washer being
such as to retain itself on the bolt even if the nut in connection with which it is.
used has been removed.
In order that all the expansion of the material shall be exerted to decrease the
diameter of the central opening of the nut or washer I prefer to confine the washer
or nut exteriorily by means of a ring or shell X of metal or other rigid material.
This ring or shell may have a square, hexagonal or other external configuration
so as to provide means for screwing the washer or nut onto the threaded stem of
a bolt, in which case the bolt may be caused to cut a thread in the washer or
nut. The outer shell or case may be provided with internal lugs pins or other
projections w or otherwise so constructed that the fibrous portion of the washer or
nut is prevented from turning independently of the shell and the said lugs or
projections may be such as to likewise prevent the end wise withdrawal of the shell
from the fibrous portion of the washer or nut (see figure 3).
In some cases I prefer to use in connection with a nut constructed in accordance
with my Invention a washer of the ordinary construction that is to say one having
the layers of fibrous material disposed transversely and in the same plane as the
face of the washer or nut as shewn for instance at y, Figure 3 as in this case I have
not only the binding of my improved washer or nut upon the bolt, but also the
lateral swelling of the washer y tending to prevent the loosening of the nut.
When my improved washer is applied to the threaded portion of a bolt the
expansion or swelling of the fibre may be relied upon to cause said washer to enter
the threads of the bolt and form a nut and when additional security is desired the
bolt may be grooved slotted or recessed at the point where the washer is to be
applied so that when the washer expands or swells a portion of the same will
enter the said groove slot or recess and thus effectually lock the washer to the bolt.
The washer may be composed of two or more sections or rings of different
diameters disposed ope over the other until the proper thickness is reached and a
section having the layers arranged as a flat helix may be combined with a section
having the layers arranged transversely so as to obtain the effect of both these
plans in one washer.
My improved nut or washer owing to the arrangement of the layers of fibre in
the form of a flat helix is stronger than a nut or washer punched from a flat sheet
and will effectually resist strains which would disrupt such punched washers
or nuts.
Another advantage of the washer made from a tube as set forth herein is its
economy there being no waste as there is when the washers are punched from a flat
slab or sheet.
I am aware that washers have been made by coiling a strip spirally that is to
say so that each convolution would overlay that in advance in the direction of the
axis of the coil but my improved washer is distinct from this in that it has the
layers disposed in the form of a flat helix that is to say, the strip is wound in a coil
of gradually increasing diameter but maintaining the same plane.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
First. A locking nut or washer composed of fibrous material and having said
jayers disposed in the form of a flat helix all substantially as specified.

page_text: Second. A locking nut or washer composed of layers of fibrous material and
having said layers disposed in the form of a flat helix in combination with an
inclosing ring or shell all substantially as specified.
Third. The combination of a bolt with two washers of fibrous material one
having the layers disposed in the form of a flat helix and the other having the
layers disposed transversely or in the same plane as the face of the washer all
substantially as specified.