Improvements in Nut Locks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Nut Locks.
We, CULLEN KITRIDGE WHITTIER, Tool Maker, of 211 Carroll Street
JOSEPH WELLINGTON CAMPION, Manufacturer, of 1136 Barclay Street and JOHN
ERNEST WILLIAM MACFARLANE, Manufacturer, of Alexander Street all in
Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, and Dominion of Canada,
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: —
Our invention has for its object to provide a nut-lock in which will be combined
simplicity and strength, a further object of the invention being to construct the
nut-lock in such manner that it may be expeditiously and conveniently manipulated
whether the locking face of the nut be placed against a bearing or the opposed and
ordinarily inner face. A further object of the invention is to provide a means
whereby the thread of the bolt to which the lock nut is applied may be struck up
in a manner to hold the nut effectually from turning.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure shews in side elevation a bolt and a sectional view of the improved lock
nut applied to the bolt, and in side view a tool adapted for upsetting the thread of
the bolt the tool being shewn in position for use and the articles to be united by the
bolt being in section.
"
Figure 2 is a view similar to that shewn in Figure 1 except that the threaded
end of the bolt is partly in section and the thread upon the bolt is illustrated as
upset, locking the nut in place.
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the threaded end of the bolt and of the lock nut,
both being in section on line 1-1 Figure 4 the nut being represented as locked in
position upon the bolt.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the nut and the bolt, the section being
taken essentially on line 4-4 Figure 3, and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the key used in connection with the nut.
Similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
views.
The bolt A is of ordinary construction and the lock nut B is adapted to be
screwed upon its threaded end. The nut may be of any desired exterior shape,
octagonal hexagonal or square or of any polygonal form, and the nut is provided in
each of its faces with one or more slots (preferably one) 10 and these slots are made
in one end surface of the nut extending from the periphery to the centre thereof.
The slots are ordinarily made rectangular in cross-section but they may be given
any other contour that in practice may be found most desirable. The nut may be
made of any suitable material, as for example brass copper iron or steel, ordinarily
however and preferably the nut is made of case-hardened iron in order that its
thread may be harder than the threaded surface of the bolt and may be employed
for straightening or correcting the bolt thread without injury to its own thread when
occasion may demand. A tool denominated a key is employed in connection with
the nut. The key is designated in the drawing by the reference numeral 11 and is
shewn in detail in Figure 5. The thickness of the key is equal to the width of a
slot 10 while the width of the key is equal to the depth of the slot it is adapted to
That portion of the key which is to enter a slot in the nut is pointed and
the pointed end, as shewn at 12 in Figure 5, has a bevelled surface at each side, the
cutting surface being the central line between the bevels,
enter.

page_text: In operation, after the bolt A has been passed through the article or articles in
connection with which the lock nut is to be used, a nut is screwed upon the
threaded end of the bolt until it is brought up close to its proper bearing. When the
nut has been properly located the key is inserted into as many of the slots as may
be found necessary or desirable, the bevelled or cutting surface of the key being
brought to bear upon one or more of the threads in the bolt. The key when it
engages with the thread is struck by means of a hammer or other appropriate tool
until the cutting surface of the key has been driven down through the thread a
distance sufficient to produce a V-opening therein, as shewn in Figure 4. By this
means the thread in the slot to which the key was applied is upset against the
sides of the slot and an angular depression is made in the thread. It is evident that
when the thread of the bolt is upset in the manner above described the bearing of
the upset portion or portions against the side walls of the slots will effectually
prevent the nut being turned unless a wrench or other like tool is applied to it for
the purpose of removing it, in which event if the nut is of case-hardened metal the
thread of the nut will shear off the upset portions on the thread of the bolt and cut
its way through leaving a proper threaded surface on the bolt. It is evident that
the same nut may be replaced upon the bolt by simply carrying it about one-
sixteenth or one-eighth of an inch further upon the bolt in order that a new surface
may be presented to the slots for the action of the key.
In Figures 2 and 3 we have illustrated the upset portion of the bolt thread by
positive lines and have designated those portions by the reference letter a while
the outline of the thread passing through the slots in the key when said threads are
in their normal condition are represented by dotted lines and the reference letter a¹.
In Figure 4 the upset portions of the bolt are likewise designated by the reference
letter a.
When a lock nut is constructed as above described and as illustrated, it matters
not whether the slotted surface be the outer or the inner surface of the nut or in
other words it matters not whether the slotted surface is brought in engagement
with a bearing as by means of the key the surfaces of the bolt visible through the
slots may be reached and operated upon no matter in what position the nut may be
placed and the ability to reverse the nut when occasion may demand enables an
operator to use and lock the nut upon a bolt, although said bolt may be too short
to pass entirely through the nut.
When the lock nut is to be used upon the rolling stock of railroads, fish plates,
or railway rails, bridges, and like places, it may be constructed of common iron as
when so used it is not necessary for the nuts to be often removed, but as heretofore
stated in places where the nuts are to be frequently removed they are made of case-
hardened metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. A lock-nut provided in one face with a series of slots extending from the
periphery to the central opening of the nut, as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. A lock nut constructed of case-hardened metal and provided in one face with
a series of slots radiating from its central opening and extending through its outer
edge or periphery, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. The combination with a lock nut provided upon one face with a series of
slots extending from the periphery to its inner opening, of a key having one of its
ends fitted to enter the slots, the entering end of the key being provided with a
cutting surface bevelled from the centre upon both sides of the key, as and for the
purpose specified.
4th. The combination, with a bolt, a nut screwed upon the bolt having slots
produced in one of its faces, extending from the periphery to its central opening,
and a key of harder material than that of which the bolt is composed, fitted at one
end to enter the slots in the nut and to engage with the threads upon the bolt, the

page_text: entering extremity of the key being formed with a cutting edge having bevelled side
surfaces, as and for the purpose set forth.
5th. The combination, with a bolt, of lock nut constructed of a metal harder
than that of which the bolt is made, the said lock nut being provided with slots in
one of its faces extending from its central opening out through its periphery and a
key of harder material than that of the bolt, said key having its ends fitted to enter
the slots in the nut, the entering end of the key being provided with a cutting edge
essentially V-shaped in cross-section, as and for the purpose set forth.
6th. The combination, with a bolt, of a nut screwed thereon said nut being
provided with slots in one of its faces extending from its periphery to its central
opening, and means, substantially as shewn and described, for upsetting the thread
of the bolt in the slots of the nut whereby two spurs are formed in the slots of the
nut engaging with opposite sides a space intervening the spurs as and for the
purpose set forth.
7th. The combination, with a bolt, of a nut screwed thereon, said nut being
provided with slots in one of its faces extending from its periphery to its central
opening and spurs formed upon the threaded surface of the bolt integral therewith,
the two spurs being located in a slot in engagement with opposite side walls, a space
intervening the spurs, as and for the purpose set forth.
C. K. WHITTIER,
J. W. CAMPION,
J. E. W. MACFARLANE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.