Improvements in Nut Locks.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFTUATION,
Improvements in Nut Locks.
I, THOMAS JAMES KENNEDY, of Renfrew, in the County of Butler, and State
of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 to improvements in nut locks, the objects in view being to
provide a nut of cheap and simple construction adapted to be applied and removed
in the ordinary manner and when applied to automatically lock itself upon the bolt.
A further object of the invention is to so construct the lock as to offer no
obstruction to the application of the nut to the bolt.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following
description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the
claim.
In the drawings :-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a railway-joint, the bolts provided with nuts locked in
position in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the nut and the bolt.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in perspective of the locking lever or dog.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing how the thread sections of the dog engage
the threads of the bolt.
Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawing.
1 designates the usual rail sections to the opposite sides of the webs of which are
applied the fish-bars 2. These fish-bars together with the webs of said rail sections
are perforated to receive the usual number of bolts 3, each of which has threaded
thereon the nut 4. The nut 4 of each bolt is provided in one of its faces with
an L-shaped recess 5 which communicates with the threaded perforation 6 thereof
and in said recess there is pivoted at its angle by a pin 7, a bell-crank lever or
dog 8. The outer end of the dog lies in the outer portion of the recess and
interposed between the bottom of the recess and said outer portion of the dog is a
coiled spring 9 yieldingly pressing the outer branch of the bell-crank lever outwardly
beyond the face of the nut and therefore pressing the opposite or inner branch of
said bell-crank lever inwardly into the threaded perforation of the nut.
The inner end of the bell-crank dog is spread or widened and is also curved as
shown, forming a head 10 of segmental shape. The rounded face of the head is
provided with a series of longitudinal thread sections 11, which are deeper than but
coincident with the threads of the central perforation of the nut.
These thread sections are provided each with a series of uniformly disposed and
inclined teeth 12, designed to engage with the seat of the threads of the bolt when
the latter is rotated in one direction.
In operation, the bolt is passed through its perforation in the usual manner, after
which the nut is applied and by reason of its teeth being inclined and the face
threaded to form continuations of the threads of the nut, said dog offers no obstruc-
tion to the nut turning to the right. If, however, the jarring of the nut should
cause the same to attempt to turn to the left, the teeth of the dog immediately
engage with the seats of the threads of the bolt and bite or bind therein in such
manner as to render the rotation of the nut upon the bolt impossible without first
withdrawing the teeth from their contact with the metal between the threads of the
bolt by pressing inwardly the outer branch of the bell-crank dog against the tension
of the coiled spring.
This construction is of especial advantage since the wear caused by the biting of
the dog is between and not on the threads of the bolt, hence does not destroy the

page_text: threads thereof nor wear away their operative faces. It will be observed that by
applying a wrench to the nut in the usual way and so as to compress the outer end
of the bell-crank dog the nut may be removed with ease.
The lock is especially adapted for use upon the nuts of bolts of rail joints and of
stationary engines but it will be observed that it can be used with the same advan-
tage upon any kind of machinery where a considerable vibration of the parts takes
place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The hereindescribed nut lock consisting of a nut provided at one side with an
L-shaped recess communicating with the interior perforation of the nut, a bell-
crank lever pivoted at its angle in the angle of the recess and terminating at its
inner end in a head having longitudinal thread sections corresponding with but
deeper than the threads of the nut, said thread sections having inclined transverse
teeth and a spring for pressing the outer end of the bell-crank beyond the face of
the nut and the inner end inwardly whereby its teeth are adapted to engage the
seats between the threads of a bolt.
2.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.