IMPROVEMENTS IN NUTS AND WASHERS- FOR SCREW BOLTS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Moses Bayliss, of the Firm of Bayliss, Jones, and.
Bayliss, and Edwin Jones, both of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN NUTS AND WASHERS-
FOR SCREW BOLTS."
Sealed the 9th April 1875, and dated the 16th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Moses Bayliss and
Edwin Jones at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 16th January 1875.
We, MOSES BAYLISS, of the Firm of Bayliss, Jones, and Bayliss, and`
EDWIN JONES, both of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN NUTS AND WASHERS FOR SCREW BOLTS," to be as follows:-
-
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of nut and
washer, whereby the nut may be prevented from being unscrewed and
shaken off or from working loose by any shaking or jarring action to
which it may be exposed, and consists as follows :—
The nut has a circular ratchet formed in the body of the metal thereof
with the ratchet teeth set in an opposite direction to that in which the

page_text: nut is turned for screwing up. The said circular ratchet may be formed
in any convenient position upon the nut, and is made concentric with
the hole through the nut.
The washer is square in shape, or is formed with a straight side to
come against a straight parallel projection, such as the flange of a rail,
or is made with two or more bolt holes therethrough, and used for two
or more bolts and nuts, or is of any other suitable shape, so that the
washer may be prevented from turning round; or the washer is round
in shape for use in any position where the friction of the washer is
sufficient to prevent it from turning round when once tightened up, 1
and for bearing against wood the corners of a square washer, or a part of
any shaped washer may be turned into the wood to prevent the washer
from turning.
One, two, or more picces or teeth are pressed up out of the metal
forming the washer, and having their ends pointing or set in the direction 1
in which the nut is turned in screwing up. In screwing up the nut the
ratchet teeth thereon compress the teeth on the washer, which acting
as springs return again as the teeth on the nut pass off them, and thus
prevent the nut from turning in the opposite direction or becoming
unscrewed.
> The teeth on the washer are preferably formed in such a position so
that each one gears into a tooth on the nut at a different point in the
nut's revolution to which any of the others do, and thus the possible
play or return of the nut upon the bolt may be reduced to an
inappreciable amount.
Instead of forming ratchet teeth on the washer in cases where
ratchet teeth on the nut are in any position, except in an inaccessible
position on the under side of the nut, parts purposely formed on the
washer may be turned into the teeth on the nut.
2
2
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Moses Bayliss and Edwin Jones in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MOSES
BAYLISS, of the Firm of Bayliss, Jones, and Bayliss, and EDWIN JONES,
both of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us; the said Moses Bayliss and Edwin
Jones, Her special licence that we, the said Moses Bayliss and Edwin
Jones, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Moses Bayliss and Edwin Jones, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN NUTS AND
WASHERS FOR SCREW BOLTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Moses Bayliss and Edwin Jones, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, tho said Moses Bayliss and Edwin Jones,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
5 ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
Our Invention has for its object an improved construction of nut and
washer, whereby the nut may be prevented from being unscrewed and
shaken off or from working loose by any shaking or jarring action to
which it may be exposed, and refers chiefly though not entirely to the
nuts and washers for railway fish bolts. The said Invention consists as
follows:-
The nut has a circular ratchet formed in the body of the metal thereof
with the ratchet teeth set in an opposite direticon to that in which the
nut is turned for screwing up. The said circular ratchet may be formed
in any convenient position upon the nut, and is made concentric with
the hole through the nut,

page_text: In order to preserve the length of thread in the nut in cases where the
circular ratchet is formed so as to cut away or take the place of part of
the said thread at the bearing end or side of the nut tho said nut may be
mado deeper or may have a boss formed at the top or back thereof so as
to give the required length of thread.
The washer is square or rectangular in shape, or is formed with a
straight side to bear against a parallel projection, such (for instance) as
the flange of a railway rail, or is made with two or more bolt holes
therethrough, and used for two or more bolts and nuts, in which case the
outside shape is not material to the Invention; or the washer is made 1
of any suitable shape, according to the position in which it is to be used,
so that it may be prevented from turning round. In cases where the
friction of the washer is sufficient to prevent it from turning round the
washer may be circular; and for a washer bearing against wood one or
more corners of a square washer and a part or parts of any shaped 1
washer may be turned or bent into the wood to prevent the washer from
turning.
One, two, or more pieces or teeth are pressed up out of the metal
forming the washer, and have their ends pointed or set in the direction
in which the nut is turned in screwing up. As the nut is screwed up ;
the ratchet teeth thereon compress the teeth on the washer, which last-
mentioned teeth act as springs and return again as the teeth on the nut
pass off them, and thus prevent the nut from turning in the opposite
direction, that is, becoming unscrewed.
The teeth on the washer, when more than one tooth is formed thereon,
are preferably formed in such a position as that cach one gears into a
tooth on the nut at a different time or point in the nut's revolution to
which any of the others do, and thus the possible play or unscrewing
of the nut upon the bolt may be reduced to an inappreciable amount.
In cases where the circular ratchet on the nut is formed in such a 8
position that ratchet teeth cannot be conveniently formed in the washer
to gear into the said ratchet on the nut, or in cases where it is advisable
and convenient a part or parts purposely formed on the washer are
turned into the teeth on the nut.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention we now proceed &
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same with

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
We will first illustrate our Invention as we prefer to apply it for
securing the fish bolts of ordinary flanged railway rails.
Figure 1 is a section through a flanged rail and fish plates shewing a
side view of one of our Patent nuts and washers as used for the fish
bolt.
Figure 2 shews a view of the bearing part of the said nut. This
Figure is drawn slightly in perspective in order to shew more clearly the
ratchet teeth in the nut.
Figure 3 is a view looking on the face of the said washer. This view
also is shewn slightly in perspective so as to shew more clearly the
ratchet teeth thereon.
Where the same letters occur in different views they refer to the same
parts.
A is the nut, and a, a, a, a, are the ratchet teeth formed therein.
In Figure 2 the said teeth are shown (as will be readily apparent by
the perspective arrangement of the view, and also by the shading) to set
back from the direction in which an ordinary or right-hand threaded nut
is turned in screwing up.
In Figure 1 the said teeth are shewn (by dotted lines) to be recessed.
or sunk into the body of the nut. To compensate for the thread inside
the nut being thus shortened a boss or thickening piece O is formed on
the other end of the nut and the thread continued therein.
B is the washer, and b, b, are the ratchet teeth formed thereon (pre-
ferably pressed out of the body of metal forming the washer).
The nut A in Figure 1 is shewn only partially screwed up in order
that the side elevation of the washer may be distinctly seen.
Figures 1 and 3 clearly indicate the shape of the teeth on the washer,.
and shew them to set back so as to gear into the teeth on the nut and
prevent them from returning when screwed up.
The teeth b, b, act as springs, being compressed as the teeth a, a, a, a,
pass over them, and rising into gear therewith as the latter teeth pass
off them.

page_text: In Figure 3 the teeth are shewn at such an angle with one another
that one will gear into a tooth upon the nut at a different time to the
other, and also when the latter is at a point about half the distance along
a tooth on the nut.
The washer is straight sided at d where it bears against the flange of 5
the rail, and is thus prevented from turning round. The remaining
sides of the washer are shewn straight, but this shape is adopted for the
said remaining sides for convenience of manufacture, and is not
necessary to the mechanical success of the Invention.
This modification of our Invention which we have now described as 1
applied for securing the fish bolts of flanged rails may be used also for
securing screw bolts for any purpose, provided that a flange or projection
is in a suitable position to take the bearing of the straight side of the
washer.
For securing the fish bolts of double-headed rails having plain fish 1
plates we prefer to use a washer as illustrated by Figure 4. This is
simply two washers similar to that illustrated by Figures 1 and 3, but
formed in one piece, and having the centres of the bolt holes the same
distance apart as the centres of the bolts for which they are required.
The washer being thus used for two bolts is prevented from turning 2
round, and the outside shape is quite immaterial except for convenience
of manufacture. We use nuts of the same construction as described for
flanged rails.
This modification of our Invention which we have now described as
applied for securing the fish bolts of double-headed rails with plain fish 2
plates may be used also for securing screw bolts for any purposo where
the bolts are sufficiently near together to prevent too great a waste of
material in the washers. Where a convenient ledge is formed along the
fish plate washers may be used for the fish bolts of double-headed rails
similar to those described and illustrated for the fish bolts of flanged 8
rails; and instead of using a straight-sided washer for the fish bolts of
flanged rails, or a double washer for the fish bolts of double-headed rails
a part of the outside of any shaped washer may be bent over or under
the edge of the fish plate where admissable; or the washers for the
middle or inner bolts may be as respectively illustrated, and those for the 8
end bolts bent round the ends of the fish plates. In each case ratchet
teeth on the nut and washer are used.

page_text: Instead of the ratchet teeth on the nut being formed in the bearing
part, as shewn, they may be formed around the circumference of the nut
and teeth, or parts formed on the washer may be turned in or over to
gear into the teeth on the nut and act as a ratchet, or may be turned
into the teeth on the nut when the nut is screwed tight up, and thus
prevent the nut from becoming unscrewed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our
said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we
declare that we claim the combination of the ratchet teeth on the nut
with the ratchet tooth or teeth on the washer, and also with a part or
parts formed on the washer to be bent into the teeth on the nut, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described and shewn, and as various
modifications follow obviously from this description of our Invention we
wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the exact
arrangements, but claim also such arrangements and modifications as
aro in harmony with and readily apparent from the general description
of this our Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said Moses Bayliss and Edwin Jones,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-five.
Witness to the signatures of
the said Moses Bayliss
and Edwin Jones
JAMES A. WYNN,
Clerk to Stephen Watkins,
MOSES BAYLISS. (L.B.)
EDWIN JONES.
Patent Office,
Wolverhampton.
(L.S.)