Improvements in Means for Preventing the Loosening of the Nuts of Fish-plate Fastenings for Railways and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 9th Nov., 1896-Accepted. 12th Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Preventing the Loosening of the Nuts of
Fish-plate Fastenings for Railways and the like.
1, GEORGE EDWARDS of Montrose, Stanmore in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide simple and efficient means for securing
the nuts of fish-plate fastenings for railways and the like so as to prevent their
becoming loosened under vibration and so also that they can be readily tightened up
when requisite.
According to my invention I provide holes or recesses (or projections so arranged
as to afford recesses between them) in the nut and also in the fish-plate or in a
special plate put over the fish-plate and having two or more of the bolts passing
through it or otherwise arranged so that it will not turu with the nut, which holes
or recesses, when the nut is screwed up on the bolt coincide, so that a securing piece
can be passed into the coincident holes or recesses both in the nut and in the fish-
plate or special plate and prevent the nut working round under vibration. The
said securing piece should be made of a material, such for instance as lead, which
can be sheared through when the nut is turned by a spanner so that the nut can be
tightened up, a fresh securing piece thereafter being put in the holes or recesses
which then have come opposite each other. The recesses may be formed in the
nut by cutting slots at intervals opening at the sides and at the face which abuts
against the fish-plate or special plate and the recesses in the fish-plate or special
plate may be formed by projections therefrom with spaces between which by the
rotation of the nut come opposite the recesses therein. Or the nut may have ears
projecting from its sides and holes be made in these and corresponding holes be
made in the fish-plate or special plate, a pin of metal or other material which can be
sheared when the nut is turned by a spanner being passed through the coincident
holes.
Although I have specially referred to fish-plates for railways the invention is of
course applicable to any similar fastenings for preventing the loosening of nuts by
vibration. The recesses may be undercut or key shaped or deviated from a straight
line so that the securing piece when put in place and rivetted will be prevented
from loosening under vibration.
Dated this 7th day of October 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
3
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Preventing the Loosening of the Nuts of
Fish-plate Fastenings for Railways and the like.
I, GEORGE EDWARDS, of Montrose, Stanmore, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
eame is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :--
My invention has for its object to provide simple and efficient means for readily

page_text: securing the nuts of fish-plate fastenings for railways and the like so as to prevent
their becoming loosened under vibration and so also that they can be readily
tightened up and re-secured when requisite.
According to my invention I provide radial recesses in the nut and also radial
recesses around, or partly around, the bolt hole in a projection formed, or rolled, on
the fish-plate, or in a special plate put over the fish-plate, and having two or more,
of the bolts passing through it, or otherwise arranged so that it will not turn with
the nut, one of which recesses in the nut, when the nut is screwed home on the bolt,
coincides with one of the recesses in the fish-plate, or the like, so that a securing
piece can be readily passed from above, or from the side, into the coincident recesses
both in the nut and in the fish-plate, or special plate, and prevent the nut from
working round under vibration. The said securing piece should be made of a
material, such for instance as lead, which can be sheared through when the nut is
turned by a spanner so that the nut can be tightened up, a fresh securing piece
thereafter being put in the recesses which then have come opposite each other the
recesses being so arranged that this can be very conveniently done. The recesses
may be formed in the nut by cutting radial slots a at intervals opening at the sides
and at the face which abuts against the fish-plate, or special plate, as shewn in
the back view of a nut in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, and the radial
recesses in a projection from the fish plate, or special plate, may be formed around,
or partly around, the bolt hole, by projections 6 therefrom with spaces between
(as shewn in Figure 2) which by the rotation of the nut come opposite the radial
recesses therein. Figure 3 shews a projecting rib c rolled on the fish plate c with
the radial recesses b formed therein partly around the bolt hole. It will be seen
that in either case the recesses which become coincident are so disposed that the
securing piece can be driven from above, although it will be evident that in the
arrangement Figure 2, the series of projections and recesses b may be made at
either side, or both at the top and at the sides. By the arrangement described the
securing piece can readily be hammered in as its whole outer end is exposed so as
to be readily acted upon by the hammer and the securing is effected with great
ease. In the fish plate and at or about right angles to the recesses 6 are formed
recesses into which the head of the securing piece is turned after it has been
driven home. Figure 4 is a transverse section shewing the nut fixed by the securing
piece d but before the head thereof is turned into the recess b. Figure 5 shews it
with the head turned into the said recess b³. I have shewn but one recess 63 common
to all the recesses b in Figure 3 but in Figure 2 I have shewn a recess b³ for each
récess b. Although I have specially referred to fish plates for railways the invention
is of course applicable to any similar fastenings for preventing the loosening of nuts
by vibration. By thus turning in the head of the securing piece d after it has been
hammered in place it is prevented from loosening under vibration.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is:-
For preventing the loosening of nuts of fish plate fastenings, or the like, a nut
with radial recesses in it, as described, and a fish plate, or its equivalent, with a
series of corresponding recesses formed around, or partly around, the bolt hole and
in a projection or rib or between projections from the fish-plate or its equivalent
and a securing piece driven into the said recesses there being a recess or recesses
such as into which the head of the securing piece is turued all substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 9th day of November 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.