An Improved Method of Locking Set Screws or Studs in Position, and Nuts on Bolts, and Means therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1895-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1895
COMEDIE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Locking Set Screws or Studs in Position,
and Nuts on Bolts, and Means therefor.
We, ALEXANDER FRASER of No. 20 Gordon Place, Little Bourke Street East,
in the City of Melbourne and Colony of Victoria, Engineer. and WILLIAM
WILSON of Kavanagh Street, South Melbourne, in said Colony, Stone Merchant,
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 relates mainly to the locking of nuts upon bolts such as are used
for securing fishplates to rails and for other purposes, although it is also applicable
for locking set screws or studs in position. Its object is to lock said nuts, set screws
or studs in a simple and inexpensive manner so that they can be removed at will
without damaging either the nut or the bolt and so that an airtight joint may be
formed between the nut and the bolt, or the set screw and the object when it is
screwed home, thereby preventing the threads rusting away and the nut or set
screw becoming loose.
According to this invention, the forward or wearing face of the nut, or set screws
or studs or the object or article against which their head is to bear, is formed with
a shallow recess extending nearly to the outer edge of said nut, a narrow rim or
margin only being left, or in the case of set screws said recess is made of slightly
smaller diameter than the head of the screw. The bottom of this recess is prefer-
ably roughened by having grooves formed in it or otherwise and into said recess is
fitted a washer or strip of lead or other soft plastic metal of slightly greater
thickness than the depth of said recess. Instead of making the recess in the nut,
it may, if so preferred be made in the surface of the fishplate or other object
against which the nut is to bear, as in the case of set screws, or the recess may be
made in both the nut and the object.
The effect of tightening a nut or set screw with the plastic washer arranged as
above described, will be to force such washer tightly on to the bolt and into any
corners or notches in both the nut or set screw head and fishplate or other object,
and as said nut or set screw is rotated, the plastic material contained in said corners
or notches will be torn away from the rest of the material leaving a clean surface
in contact with a similarly clean surface on the body of the washer, and these two
surfaces being forced tightly together will adhere to each other with sufficient force
to prevent the nut or set screw being turned back accidentally.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a view of the forward or wearing face of a hexagonal nut.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on line 22 Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a view of part of the outer side of a fish plate adapted for use with a
nut constructed as above described.
Figures 4 and 5 are a plan and section of the washer.
Figure 6 is a section through a rail of the fishplate illustrating the operation of
our invention.
Figures 7 and 8 are views illustrating the application to a stud or set screw
constructed according to this invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures.

page_text: A represents the comparatively shallow recess which is formed by preference in
the forward or working face of the nut B, or in the case of set screws or studs in
the article against which the head of the screw bears as shown in Figures 7 and 8,
whilst a a represent notches which may be formed in the bottom of said recess in
order to roughen the surface thereof,-C C in Figure 3 represent similar notches
formed upon the outer surface of the fishplate D or other object around the hole
through which the bolt E passes, whilst F represents the washer of lead or other
plastic metal which is made as above mentioned slightly thicker than the depth of
the recess B. Instead of forming the recesses in the face of the work against which
the set screw is used it may in some cases be preferable to form them in the
underside of the set screw bead.
In operation it is merely necessary to place the washer F over the bolt E and
then to screw up the nut B in the ordinary manner, the effect being that some of
the metal will be forced into the notches a in the nut and the notches C in the
fishplate or other object and will Subsequently be as it were torn away from the
rest of the washer and will thereby form two distinct and clean surfaces which
being in close contact with each other will adhere with sufficient force to prevent
any accidental rotation of the nut B and moreover said washer will be forced
tightly into any space that may be left between said nut and the bolt thereby
forming an airtight joint between them and preventing that part from rusting
away and becoming loose.
It will be readily understood that the recess A might if preferred be formed in
the fishplate or other object, in the same way as when set screws are used, instead
of or as well as in the nut, roughened surfaces or notches being provided in each or
either of them as before.
The operation of the invention in the case of studs or set screws such as are
shown in Figures 7 and 8 is practically the same as described with reference to
nuts and bolts, the washer F being placed in a recess A having notches C formed
in the object or article D against which the head of the set screw bears when
screwed up as clearly illustrated in said figures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. The herein described method of locking set screws or studs in position, or
nuts on bolts consisting essentially in forming a notched or toughened recess either
in the nut or in the object against which it or the set screw or stud is to be fitted
and in applying a washer of plastic metal therein substantially as and for the
purposes specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. The herein described means for locking set screws or studs in position or nuts
on bolts, consisting essentially of a washer of lead or other plastic metal together
with notched or roughened surfaces on either the nut or set screw head and the
object against which it is to be fitted, or on both substantially as and for the
purposes specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 30th day of July One thousand eight hundred and ninety-five.
ALEXR. FRASER.
WM. WILSON.
Abel & Imray,
Agents for the Applicants.