Improved Means for Locking Nuts of Bolts Used for Rail Joints or other Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 16th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Locking Nuts of Bolts Used for Rail Joints
or other Purposes.
I WILLIAM FARQUHAR of the Engineers' Office Eastern and Midlands Railway
Melton Constable Norfolk Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention consists in the improved fish plato and washer hereinafter described.
The object of my invention being to provide a means whereby nuts may be locked fast
and prevented from becoming slack or unscrewed when not desired.
In carrying out my invention I form the washer, the boundary or form of which
may be of any shape whatever as the case may be, so that the cross-section of the
washer is of a wedge shape. When the nut or nuts are screwed up against this
washer the threads on the bolt are slightly deformed or strained & the bolt itself is
also deformed or bent & put into a condition of tension whereby the nut or nuts are
held fast and so prevented from becoming slack or unscrewed.
In the case of fish-plates & in similar cases the ordinary fish-plate can be used in
conjunction with the above mentioned washer or else the fish-plate must be formed
with a wedge shaped boss or projection round each hole in the fish-plate similar to the
washer described above.

page_text: I, WILLIAM FARQUHAB, Engineer, of 7 Fenchurch Street, E.C. 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 :-
My invention consists in the improved fish-plate & washer hereinafter described.
The object of my invention being to provide a means whereby nuts may be locked
fast and prevented from becoming slack or unscrewed when not desired. In carrying
out my invention I form the washer (the honndary or form of which may be of
any shape whatever as the case may be) so that the cross section of the washer is of a
wedge shape. When the nut or nuts are screwed up against this washer the threads
on the bolt are slightly deformed or strained & the bolt itself is also deformed or
bent & put into a condition of tension whereby the nut or nuts are held fast & so
prevented from becoming slack or unscrewed. In the case of fish-plates & in similar
cases the ordinary fish-plate can be used in conjunction with the above mentioned
washer, or else the fish-plate must be formed with a wedge shaped boss or projection
round each hole in the fish-plate similar to the washer described above, the essential
point in my invention being that the washer or inclined surface is not intended to turn
with the nut, as I am well aware that washers of this description, but with wings or
projections on them so that they are carried round with the nut & turn with it, have
already been used.
The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention :-
Fig. 1. shews the end of an ordinary bolt a. with a taper washer b inserted undor
the nut c, the difference of thickness between the thick & the thin sides of the washer
-being about th of an inch for the ordinary sizes, the result of screwing the nut down
on this washer being to close up all slack between the nut & the thread of the bolt by
canting the nut slightly to one side & also very slightly to bend the end of the bolt,
but not so much as to permanently cripple or impair it.
Fig. 2. shews a portion of a rail-joint in which a is an ordinary bolt d and d' are
the fish-piates, d having inclined portions formed at & round the bolt holes so that when
the nut c is screwed down, it is locked as above described, but in this case without the
intervention of a loose washer. It should here be observed that the inclined portions,
the inclination of which should be about the same as for the washer, should be
arranged with the inclination in the direction of the length of the fish-plate & not
across it.

page_text: Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1st. The use & application of washers, fish-plates & the like, so formed as to present
an inclined surface to a nut screwed down upon them & so arranged that they shall
not be obliged to turn with the nut & if necessary may be prevented from so
doing.
2nd The general arrangement of narts as & for the purposes described.
Dated this 7th day of January 1888.
WILLIAM STRONACH LOCKHART,
For William Farquhar.