Improvements in Nut Locks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICALION.
Improvements in Nut Locks.
We, LUELLA MEHARRY ELLIOTT, of No. 1 Chauncey Avenue, Grand Crossing,
Illinois, United States of America, Lady, and ROBERT BLACKSTOCK and IRA
BURTON BLACKSTOCK, of corner of Taft & Orleans Streets Paxton, Illinois,
United States of America, Bankers, and WILLIAM MORROW BLACKSTOCK, of
Shadeland Station La Fayette, Indiana, United States of America, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare that we are in possession of an invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
NUT LOCKS," and that 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 to improvements in that class of devices known as nut
locks for rigidly securing a nut at any point of its adjustment upon a bolt, against
accidental displacement by jarring or otherwise; and has for its prime object to
convert an ordinary nut into a lock-nut, and thereby avoid the necessity for having
a specially made nut, and at the same time enable the employment of nuts of any
quality, and the utilization of nuts already in use.
Another object is to promote the nicety of the adjustment of the nut without
diminishing the strength of the lock therefor, by a peculiar arrangement and
location of the parts, as hereinafter described.
I attain these objects by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in
which-
Fig. 1. represents a plan view of a screw bolt having a nut and lock applied
thereto, embodying my invention;
Fig. 2, an end elevation of the same;
Fig. 3, a perspective view of the locking plate; and
Fig. 4, a side elevation of a nut with the locking plate applied thereto, showing
a modified form of fastening for securing the plate to the nut.
Fig. 5, a detail vertical section.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawing.
Referring by letter to the accompanying drawing, A indicates a screw bolt
provided with a series of longitudinal peripheral grooves, B, extending the entire
length of the screw-threaded portion of the bolt, and preferably angular in form,
with reference to the periphery, in order to form a straight shoulder on one side
of the groove at substantially a right angle relative to the periphery thereof.
Into one of these grooves is designed to fit a tooth or projection C, corresponding
in shape with said groove, and bent or struck down from a locking plate D, secured
to the nut E in any known or convenient manner.
This locking plate is composed of malleable metal, and preferably has the general
form of the nut in end elevation, with a central opening. F, therein corresponding
in size with the threaded opening of the nut, around the edge of which is arranged
the series of teeth or projections, C, standing at a right angle from the face thereof
so that when one of the teeth registers with one of the grooves in the bolt, after
the nut has been screwed up into position, the tooth may be bent down .so as to
project into the groove, and thus securely lock the nut against a reverse rotation
tending to displace the same upon the bolt, due either to jarring, an accidental
blow, or tampering therewith by unauthorized parties.
This locking plate is secured to the outer face of the nut either by welding, by
screws working therethrough and tapped into the nut, or by tips G, (see Fig. 4)
projecting from the edges thereof, and bent into sockets, H, in the nut, or in any
other suitable and convenient manner which will firmly unite the two members
together...

page_text: By this arrangement we are enabled to convert any ordinary nut into a lock-nut,
and at the same time employ nuts and bolts of any quality of material, and thus
not only enable the filling of any contract as to quality of the material employed,
but also avoid the extra expense of a nut specially made for this purpose; and,.
further, we are also enabled to utilize the old bolts and nuts already in use, at a
very small cost, for the application of our invention thereto.
The location or arrangement of the grooves in the bolt is also of importance, in
that we are thereby enabled to employ a less number of teeth upon the locking
plate, and each of correspondingly greater strength, and at the same time secure a
better adjustment of the locking devices, so as to make the locking of the nut at
almost any point of its adjustment upon the bolt, which, obviously, is an impossibility
when a single groove is depended upon.
To this end, instead of arranging the series of grooves around the periphery of
the bolt at intervals corresponding exactly with the distance between any number
of teeth, which would permit several of the teeth to engage corresponding grooves
at the same time, we divide the periphery of the bolt into regular or unequal parts,
so that when one of the grooves registers with a tooth, the other grooves will lie
one-third or two-thirds, or one-fourth, two-fourths, or three-fourths of the distance
between the points and bases of the other teeth, according to the number of the
grooves employed, and this number may vary as desired, for the greater the
number, of course, the finer the adjustment.
In other words, the teeth being all of equal length, we take the length of one
tooth, and divide it into as many parts as there are to be grooves in the bolt, say,
for instance, three grooves, as shown in the drawing; hence, we would divide the
length of the tooth into three parts, and in spacing the grooves, would have the
first register with one of the teeth; the next located a distance away corresponding
with the length of any number of intermediate tecth and one-third the length of
one tooth additional, and the next groove further around corresponding with the
length of all of the intermediate teeth, with two thirds the length of a single tooth
added.
In this way we are enabled to lock the nut at any point of its rotation corre-
sponding with a third of the length of one tooth, and obviously if more grooves
were employed, the nicety of adjustment of the lock, would be correspondingly
increased; and not only that, but we are enabled to employ locking teeth of a
greater length and strength than is possible with any other construction, and at the
same time secure the maximum adjustment thereof.
For convenience of removing the nut from the bolt, without the necessity for
drawing the teeth out of the groove toward the front, we provide an annular
recess, I, in the face of the nut, of a depth substantially corresponding with the
length of the teeth, and of sufficient diameter to permit the teeth to lie bodily
therein, without interfering with the revolving of the nut upon the bolt, as clearly
shown in Fig. 5, of the drawing. Thus, in order to remove the nut, it is only
necessary to drive the tooth inwardly until it lies wholly within this recess, when
the nut may be readily revolved upon the bolt, and as this recess opposes all the
teeth, it is obviously immaterial which one of them is employed for locking the nut
in position, because when it is desired to be removed, the teeth may be disposed of
as just described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is :-
:-
1. The combination with a screw bolt provided with a longitudinal peripheral
groove, of a nut working on said bolt, a lock plate secured thereto, and teeth or
projections on said plate adapted and arranged to be bent down so as to project into
Baid groove, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a screw bolt provided with a series of longitudinal
peripheral grooves spaced unequal distances apart, of a nut working on said bolt,

page_text: and a lock plate secured to said nut having a series of teeth or projections spaced
equal distances apart, and adapted and arranged to be bent so as to project into
said grooves, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a screw bolt provided with a longitudinal peripheral
groove, of a nut working on said bolt provided with an annular recess in one face
thereof, a lock-plate secured to said nut covering said recess, and teeth or projections
on said plate adapted and arranged to be bent down so as to project into said
groove, or bent inwardly and upwardly so as to lie within said recess, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 4th day of December 1890.