Improvements in Nut Locks.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Nut Locks.
I, HARRY OCTAVIUS ALLEN, of 30, Primrose Mansions, Battersea Park, London,
S.W., Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to nut locks, especially of the kind in which is employed a
split washer or a washer having a tooth or projection thereon to engage with or
enter the substance of the material to which the bolt is applied and thereby restrain
rotary movement of such washer and the bolt-nut. If the material be of wood or
other comparatively soft substance, there is little, if any difficulty in causing such
engagement, but if the bolt be applied to metal it becomes necessary to provide such
metal with notches for said washer to engage with, an operation which is in many
cases undesirable, especially when the metal is bulky and heavy.
According to my invention I overcome this necessity by providing a thin plate
of metal or other suitable material formed with two or more bolt holes for the stems
of the bolts to pass through, and around each bolt hole I form a circular series of
indentations corrugations or apertures in such a position that the said washer or its
tooth will engage therewith as the nut is tightened up on the bolt. These metal
plates can be very easily and cheaply made by stamping and by reason of their
being held in position by more than one bolt they cannot shift to any undesirable
extent in tightening up the nuts.
These improvements will be found more particularly useful in connection with
nut locks that are used with bolts for securing the ends of railway rails together by
fish plates.
3
Dated this 9th day of September, 1897.
I, HARRY OCTAVIUS ALLEN, of 30, Primrose Mansions, Battersea Park, London,
S.W., Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
30 manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-

page_text: employed a split washer or a washer having a tooth, finger or projection thereon to
engage with or enter the substance of the material to which the bolt is applied and
thereby restrain rotary movement of such washer and the nut. If the material
be of wood or other comparatively soft substance, there is little, if any difficulty in
causing such engagement but if the bolt be applied to metal it becomes necessary
to provide such metal with notches for said washer to engage with, an operation
which is in many cases undesirable, especially when the metal is bulky and heavy.
According to my invention I, overcome this necessity by providing a thin locking
plate of metal or other suitable material having two or more bolt holes for the
stems of the bolts to pass through, and around each bolt hole I form a circular
series of indentations, corrugations or apertures in such a position that the said
washer or its tooth or finger will engage therewith as the nut is tightened up on
the bolt.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe by way of example the application of the same to a
railway fish joint as shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein :-
Figure 1, is a side view of the said fish joint together with my improved means
for locking the nuts thereof.
Figure 2 a section on the line x x Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a detail view showing a plan of the locking washer, which however
forms no part of the present invention and is shown merely for the sake of
clearness.
a a are the nuts and b b their locking washers, which latter are provided with
projections consisting of spring fingers 61 61 and with turned up flanges b². с с аге
the locking plates, d d are the bolts and ee the fish plates which serve to secure
the ends ff of the rails together.
The locking plates c are interposed between the washers b b and the fish plates
and are of such a length that they fit over two of the bolts d, and can be very easily
and cheaply made by stamping. By reason of their embracing a pair of bolts, it
will be seen that it.is impossible for them to turn with the nuts.
c¹ care apertures in the locking plate which are adapted to engage the spring
fingers b¹ and are arranged in circular series concentric with the bolt holes.
It will be seen that the spring fingers have their extremities inclined as at 63
(Figure 2) in such a direction that they readily slip from aperture to aperture as the
nuts are screwed up or turned in the direction of the arrows, but should the nuts
tend to turn in the opposite direction, as in becoming slack, then the said extremi-
ties 68 will immediately engage in the apertures and effectually resist such turning.
From this it will be seen that the locking action does not depend upon the nut
being screwed up absolutely tight, as it will take place immediately the nut is
pressing upon the washer with sufficient force to cause the spring finger to enter
the aperture. This property allows of a secure joint being obtained without the
necessity for absolute rigidity, which is a great desideratum in cases where a certain
amount of play is required to allow for expansion and contraction and yet where it
is important that there should be no possibility of the nuts actually working loose.
Obviously although I have illustrated my improvements in connection with a
railway fish joint, yet I may apply the same to any purpose where lock nuts may
be desirable.
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 :-
1. The combination with a nut and a locking washer having a spring finger, of a
locking plate adapted to be engaged by said finger, substantially as described.
2. A locking plate of the kind referred to in the preceding claim having a circular
series of apertures to engage with the bent extremity of the spring finger when the
nut turns in the direction which would cause it to become slack.

page_text: 3. The arrangement wherein the locking plate is common to a pair of lock nuts,
and has a circular series of apertures at each end thereof to engage the spring
fingers of the washers of said nuts, substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 4th day of May 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.