Means for Preventing the Loosening of Bolts, Nuts, and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 3rd Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Aug., 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Means for Preventing the Loosening of Bolts, Nuts, and the like.
I GEORGE LLEWELLYN DAVIES, of 110 Leadenhall Street London, E.C.
Electrical and Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inventiou
to be as follows :-
Means for preventing the loosening of bolts, nuts and the like.
The invention has for its object, the making of nuts and bolts at present in use,
self-locking, by fixing on to them a gravity attachment which may be done in one
of the following ways, or in other approved forms.
1. By making a sleeve to fit on to the nut, with a lump on a section of it. This
sleeve is fitted on to the nut 'after it has been screwed up, with the lump in such a
position, as to tend to make the nut tighten, and prevent it from turning back, by
gravity. The sleeve can be secured on the nut, by being shrunk on or by denting
the sleeve into the nut with a centre punch, or in other approved ways.
gravity sleeves may be made of malleable cast iron, or other suitable metal or
material.
The
2. By making a special nut, with gravity sleeve, fitted. to it, but not fixed, so
that the lump may be placed in the best position after the nut has been screwed up,
and then fixed.
3. By making a gravity sleeve to be used on the heads of bolts, and also for
other purposes of a similar nature.
Dated this Second day of November 1892.
G. LLEWELLYN DAVIES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Means for Preventing the Loosening of Bolts, Nuts, and the like.
I, GEORGE LLEWELLYN DAVIES late of 110 Leadenhall Street but now of
8 Fowkes Buildings Great Tower Street, London, E.C. Electrical and Mechanical
Engineer, 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:―
This invention has for its object, the making of nuts and bolts at present in use,
self locking when under occasional or continuous vibration by applying to such
nuts or the like means for preventing the loosening, or in other words means for
constantly tightening up said parts, by fixing on to each of them, or some of them,
a gravity attachment adapted to cause the part, to be tightened up, to turn, in the
direction on the thread of the screw, on which it is mounted, which will promote
that effect. This may be done in one of the following ways, or in such other mere
modification thereof as may be best suited to the circumstances.
By making a sleeve, or support to fit on to the nut, with a lump on a section of
the said sleeve.
Fig. 1 shews such a form of sleeve or clutch like socket, a trimmed off to a
feather edge towards a' so that a tap on the edge, or lip, may lock it on the nut b
indicated by the dotted line; or a similar form may be used to enable the sleeve to
pass freely projecting portions of peculiarly shaped fish plates the arm, or exten-
sion, a² from the sleeve forms a lever which under vibration is pulled upon by the
weight a at its end and the sleeve a has a constant tendency imparted to it,
together with said weighted lever, to rotate in the direction of the arrow A. This

page_text: €6
screw up" and
motion turning the nut on the thread of the bolt will cause it to
tighten upon the bolt and fish plate, in the case of railway permanent way.
The angle at which the lever or arm a² shall project from the sleeve a will in
practice be varied, relatively to the angles formed by the sides or squares of the
sleeve a, say in four degrees, so as to afford the choice of a sleeve to apply to
a nut, when screwed up, that shall present its lever and weight according to the
position of that relatively to the perpendicular that shall give the best effect to the
tightening action.
Fig. 2 shews an edge view of Fig. 1 and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 shew the lever weight
applied at the different angles to the square of the sleeve just referred to.
Fig. 6 shews by a side view Fig. 7 by a front view and. Fig. 8 by a sectional
view of the sleeve or clutch a taken on the line 1-1 Fig. 7, a modification.
In this form of the sleeve a which grasps the nut bit will be observed that the
sides of the nut grasping parts are not continuous all round the nut but openings
are formed or left at the parts between the four projections a.
The size of the weight may be increased as indicated by dotted line B, or
varied.
Fig. 9 shews a plan view, Fig. 10 a side view and Fig. 104 an end view of
another modification in which one side or wall of the sleeve,a is omitted and ends
or points a are left which may be turned down, over the fourth angle or side of
the nut to lock the sleeve thereon.
For greater security the two opposite sides, internally, of the sleeve may be
formed with a slight projection a to engage a groove in the nut, or vice versa the
sleeve may be hollowed and nut have a projection or projections.
I will now describe a modification in which by making a suitable form of sleeve,
or clutching socket to be fitted to a nut, or like part, the weight which is under the
influence of gravity to cause it to turn for locking up or preserving locking up or
tightness, can be fitted to said sleeve but not permanently or inseparably affixed
thereto, so that the lump or weight may be placed in the adjusted position best
adapted to give the most powerful action.
This form of attachment is particularly adapted to be shrunk on the nut, either
before, or after application to the bolt, as should one corner arm, or one like arm,
not present itself in the best position, another would come into a favourable position
and the weight be hung on to it.
The action of the weight in this arrangement is as follows:
Under vibration the weight being loosely held on the arm has sufficient play to
jump up and down and the constant tapping has a step by step hammering effect in
inducing turning of the socket and nut.
Fig. 11 shews a front view and Fig. 12 a plan view of such an arrangement
a is the sleeve having four projections or levers a², each having an enlarged end u
on which is locked a weight a³.
Fig. 13 shows a slight modification of Fig. 12 in that the angles at which the
arms a project from the sleeve a relatively to the face of the nut is varied.
Fig. 14 is an edge view of a weight a separately the better to shew the slot, or
locking recess aº.
In use the nut having been tightened up the sleeve a is put on and the lever or
projection a² which presents itself in the most advantageous position for causing a
tendency to screw up to be given to the nut, has the weight a³ slidden on to it and
this weight may be locked on, by a slight blow sufficient to close the sides of the
recess a³ and bring the little projection a¹ in the path of the end a should it have
an inclination to slide out of such recess, or by a kind of bayonet joint or eccen-
tricity of the groove from a straight line the locking may be secured without
interfering with its removability.
These gravity sleeves, or clutch like sockets with their actuating weights may be
applied to the heads of bolts as well as to their nuts and also for other purposes
of a similar nature where the fastenings are subject to vibration adapted to operate
them.

page_text: The sleeves can be secured on the nuts or parts to be tightened by shrinking or
by thinning the material of the sleeve suitably to a point and denting the material
left into the substance of the nut or part enough to produce a lock, or this fixture
may be effected in any suitable known and approved fashion. The material of the
attachment may be steel or cast iron of the kind known as malleable, or of other
suitable character, or material or the weights especially if detachable may be of
cheap metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I make no
claim broadly to the employment of a weight so applied that under the influence
of vibration it shall have a tendency to tighten up a nut on the thread of a bolt as
I am aware that it has been proposed to substitute for the ordinary nut, a nut
having a preponderant mass of metal, integral with said nut, which mass was
designed under vibration when properly applied to turn said nut but the difficulty
in practice, is its application but what I do claim is :-
1. The improved means for preventing the loosening of bolts and nuts used for
the fastening of railway rails, and for other like uses, consisting of a sleeve or
equivalent clutch like part adapted to be fitted on to a nut, or part, to be turned
and to be secured to it, said sleeve being provided with an arm, or arms projecting
therefrom and adapted to support a weight applied to or formed thereon so that
under vibration a constant tendency may be given by the attachment when properly
applied to turn the part to which it is applied substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. The herein before described attachments for bolts, nuts and other parts of
mechanism requiring to be kept tightened or screwed up, capable of being so
applied that under vibration a constant tapping or hammering action shall be
induced as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of August 1893.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.