MEANS FOR LOCKING NUTS UPON THEIR SCREW BOLTS
Year: 1885

page_text: I AUGUSTE FRANCOIS LŒTARE BERNARD of Namur in the Kingdom of Belgium
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "MEANS FOR LOCKING
NUTS UPON THEIR SCREW BOLTS" to be as follows:-
.
This Invention consists of an arrangement of indentations or undulations formed
in the nut and of a spring catch fixed to the piece to be secured or screwed fast
and playing in said corrugations so as to prevent the nut from becoming loosened
by vibrations as is the case with those employed in the construction of railways
whilst permitting the same to be turned on its screw bolt in either direction by a
screw key. For this purpose the spring catch is lodged in a circular cavity or
recess provided in the base or pressing part of the nut and consists preferably of a
spiral spring making one or more turns and having its lower end bent down
vertically and inserted in a notch or hole formed in the piece to be secured or
screwed fast in order to prevent the catch from turning with the nut whereas its
upper end is shaped into a cylindrical tooth or catch playing in the indentations or
undulations arranged radially in the bottom of said cavity. In this case the nut
must be sufficiently reinforced in height and diameter or provided with an
enlargement.
If desired the cavity for the reception of the catch may be also provided for in
the piece to be secured or in a separate plate or collar placed between the nut and
said piece. In the latter case the end of the spring catch may be fixed in the
collar or washer by bending it horizontally and by securing the collar itself. The
catch instead of being formed of a spiral spring may be a straight flat spring or
separate rounded tooth or detent acted upon by a spring or an elastic body.
The arrangement may also be reversed by fixing the spring catch in the
moveable part and by forming the undulations or circular rack in the fixed part.

page_text: I AUGUSTE FRANÇOIS LŒETARE BERNARD of Namur in the Kingdom of Belgium,
Engineer, do heroby 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 consists of an arrangement of indentations or corrugations in the
base or pressing surface of an ordinary square or hexagonal nut so as to form a
kind of circular rack A figures 1 and 2 leaving round it a flat portion A¹ which
presses by means of an additional collar or washer B figure 3 on the piece to be
secured or scrowed fast; the developement of said rack A being shown at figure 4.
The collar or washer B leaves an annular space round the screw bolt C for tho
reception of a spring catch D figures 1, 5, and 6, consisting of a spiral spring of one
or more turns and having its lower or tail end bent down and inserted in a corre-
sponding notch E formed in the piece to be secured, whereas its upper end is
shaped into a rounded tooth or catch playing in the indentations A of the nut so
as to prevent the latter from becoming accidentally loosened-but permitting the
same to be turned on its screw bolt in either direction by the aid of a screw key or
wrench.
The height of the collar or washer B is to be calculated so as to allow the free
motion of the spring catch without preventing the action of the nut.
Modifications of this contrivance are illustrated in figures 7 to 11.
In figure 7 the circular rack A is sunk in the base of the nut, instead of forming
a raised portion thereon as shown in Figure 1.
In Figures 8 and 9 the tail end of the spring catch forms likewise a rounded
tooth. In this case instead of a notch E (as in Figures 1 and 7) indentations
similar to those made in the nut must be provided for round the bolt hole in the
piece to be secured so that the spring catch can play with both its ends engaged in
said indentations or racks.
In Figure 10 the tail end of the spring catch is bent horizontally and fixed in a
corresponding notch E' and in Figure 11 said tail end is inserted in an additional
piece or plate B¹ placed on the piece to be secured and prevented itself from being
turned in any suitable manner.
The catch in lieu of being in the form of a spiral spring may be straight or may
consist of a separate tooth or detent acted upon by a spring or an elastic body.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
The means for locking nuts upon their screw bolts consisting substantially of a
spring catch or detent contained in an annular space provided for, round the screw

page_text: bolt in a collar or washer inserted between the nut and the piece to be secured a
series of corrugations or indentations formed in the said nut or in the nut and
piece to be secured in which corrugations said spring catch or detent plays at both
ends or at one end only the other end being in the latter case fixed in a holding
notch in such a manner that the nut shall be prevented from accidentally getting
loose whilst being free to be turned on its screw bolt in either direction by a screw
key or wrench as specified.