IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING SCREW BOLTS AND NUTS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Johnson, of 1, Essex Stroet, Forest Gate,
in the County of Essex, Engineer, and Robert John Lecky, of 24,
Stock Orchard Villas, Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING SCREW
BOLTS AND NUTS."
Sealed the 5th July 1870, and dated the 10th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Johnson and
Robert John Lecky at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,.
with their Petition, on the 10th May 1870.
We, HENRY JOHNSON, of 1, Essex Street, Forest Gate, in the County
of Essex, Engineer, and ROBERT JOHN LECKY, of 24, Stock Orchard.
Villas, Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do.
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
SE IMPROVEMENTS,
IN LOCKING SCREW BOLTS AND NUTS," to be
as follows :-.
:
Our Invention has for its object the securing of nuts upon bolts so as
to prevent them from being-loosened by vibration, or otherwise working

page_text: loose. For this purpose we make the nut in two parts, an inner and an
outer part. The inner part is screwed internally to fit the bolt, and
externally it is tapered. It is split so that it can be expanded or
contracted a little in diameter. The outer part is made internally to fit
the taper periphery of the inner part, and externally it is made hexagonal,
or if any other convenient form for applying a wrench or other instru-
ment to turn it. When the outer surface of the inner part and the
inner surface of the outer part of the nut are mado conical we fit them
with a stud, feather, or key, which causes the inner part to turned with
the outer part. When the surfaces are made pyramidal or when they
are conical with one part flatted, this is not necessary. The action is as
follows: The inner part of the nut being inserted into the outer part is
screwed on to the bolt having the smaller end of its taper towards the
face on which the nut has to bear. The outer part of the nut extending a
little beyond the end of the inner part bears first, and as it is turned
round the action of the screw forces the inner part onwards like a wedge
within the outer part, its split allowing it to be contracted on the bolt
and so to grin it tightly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Johnson and Robert John Lecky in the 20
Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th November, 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, HENRY
JOHNSON, of No. 1, Essex Street, Forest Gate, in the County of
Essex, Engineer, and ROBERT JOHN LECKY, of 24, Stock Orchard
Villas, Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send 2
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant 30
unto us, the said Henry Johnson and Robert John Lecky, Her special
licence that we, the said Henry Johnson and Robert John Lecky, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Henry Johnson and Robert John Lecky, our executors, administrators,

page_text: 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, uso, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCKING SCREW
BOLTS AND NUTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, tho
said Henry Johnson and Robert John Lecky, our exccutors or adminis-
trators, 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, the said Henry Johnson and Robert John
Lecky, do hereby declare the nature of our said 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 the securing of nuts upon bolts so as
to prevent them from being loosened by vibration, or otherwise working
loose. For this purpose we make the nut in two parts, an inner and an
outer part. The inner part is screwed internally to fit the bolt, and
externally it is tapered. It is split so that it can be expanded or con-
tracted a little-in diameter. The outer part is made internally to fit the
taper periphery of the inner part, and externally it is made hexagonal or
of any other convenient form for applying a wrench or other instrument
to turn it. When the outer surface of the inner part and the inner
surface of the outer part of the nut are made conical, wo fit them with
a stud, feather, or key, which causes the inner part to turn with the
outer part. When the surfaces are made pyramidal or when they are
conical with one part flatted this is not necessary. The action is as
follows:-The inner part of the nut being inserted into the outer part, is
screwed on to the bolt having the smaller end of its taper towards the
face on which the nut has to bear. The outer part of the nut extending
a little beyond the end of the inner part bears first, and as it is turned
round the action of the screw forces the inner part onwards like a wedge
within the outer part, its split allowing it to be contracted on the bolt
and so to grip it tightly.
'

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a section, and Fig. 2 a plan of a nut constructed
according to our Invention. a is the inner part or thimble which is
internally screwed to fit the bolt, and which is externally tapered, and is
split up one side; 6 is the outer part or shell made with a taper hole to
receive the thimble a, and a feather or projecting rib c which enters the
split of the thimble and causes it to turn when the shell is turned.
Fig. 3 represents a section, and Fig. 4 a plan of a nut constructed
according to our Invention, in which the thimble a is hexagonal and
tapered externally, and the outer part or shell 6 is made with a hexagonal 1
tapered hole to receive it. In this case no feather such as is represented
at c in Fig. 2 is required. The thimble and interior of the shell instead
of being made hexagonal may have any other polygonal form, or may be
mado round with one or more portions of the circumference flatted.
Fig. 5 represents a section, and Fig. 6 a plan of a nut constructed 1
according to our Invention, in which the thimble a is made in three
pieces, a¹, a³, a³, the shell 6 having three feathers c¹, c², c³. The thimble
instead of being thus divided into three pieces may be divided into two
or any other convenient number of pieces.
Nuts constructed as represented in Figs. 1 to 6 are turned upon their 2
bolts by applying a wrench to the outer shell 6, or the bolt may be turned,
the shell being held fast by a wrench. In some cases it is convenient to
extend the shell to receive several bolts, as for fish plates used on
railways, girders, or other uses.
Fig. 7 represents a side clevation, and Fig. 8 a transverse section of 2
fish plates secured in this manner. D, D, are the rails, and E, E, the fish
plates. The holes in these plates are made taper as the shells of the
nuts above described to receive the taper split thimbles a. These holes
may be made with feathers to prevent the thimbles from turning in
them, but this is found practically not to be necessary, as the thimbles 3
when inserted into the taper holes are held by friction while the bolts are
serowed into them. We prefer to make all the holes in the fish plates
of the same size and form, and to make the bolts conical under the head
to fit them. Thus the bolt or the thimble may be inserted into either
plate on either side of the rail, and the bolt bearing in a taper hole is 3
less liable to become loosened or to break off under the head.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner
in which it is to be performed, we would have it understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the details or proportions represented in the
Drawings, but we claim as our Invention the locking of screw bolts and
nuts, by constructing the nuts substantially as described above, that is to
say, with a screwed thimble split or divided and tapered, which by the
action of the screw is forced into a tapered shell and thereby caused to
grip the bolt.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert John Lecky, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
'Witness,
ALEXANDER P. WRIGHT,
Engineer,
55, Millbank Street,
Westminster,
London. S.W.
ROB³. J. LECKY. (L.S.)