Year: 1897

page_text: We, CHARLES STUART, of 28 Gloucester Street, Cardiff, Fitter, and ALFRED JAMES
PERTON WHITAKER, of Llanishen, Cardiff, Chartered Accountant, both in the County
of Glamorgan, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with lock nuts and has
reference more particularly to a contractile nut, that is to say a nut which is split or
cut down one side and which is combined with a device whereby, when it is being
screwed up, its ends are forced together so that it is caused to contract and grip or
bind firmly upon its bolt or screw.
According to our said invention the split nut is formed with a tapered portion or
extension on its inner side immediately surrounding and forming an edge to the
central screw threaded aperture, the split or cut in the side of the nut extending also
through this tapered portion.
The washer of the nut may conveniently be somewhat thicker than ordinary
washers, and is formed with a tapered aperture corresponding to and adapted to
receive the aforesaid tapered portion of the nut.
The result of this construction is that when the washer is in place and the nut is
screwed on to its bolt, the aforesaid tapered portion enters the tapered aperture in
the washer and thereby exerts a wedging action on the nut which forces the ends
thereof towards one another and causes the threads in the nut to bind tightly into
those of the bolt, thereby giving a firm and reliable locking action, the grip of the
nut being greater, the greater the amount of force employed in screwing up the
nut, or the finer the pitch of the screw threads.
The invention can be applied to lock nuts of various sizes and is applicable to
all purposes where lock nuts are desirable, and obviously the bolts can be cut either
with ordinary threads or with gas threads.
In employing lock nuts constructed to this invention, in railway work, the fish-
plates with which the nuts are to be used may be formed with tapered apertures
similar to those before referred to as being formed in the washers.

page_text: Accountant, both in the County of Glamorgan, 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 or connected with lock nuts and has
reference more particularly to a split or contractile nut, combined with a device
whereby, when the said nut is being screwed up, it is caused to contract and grip
or bind firmly upon its bolt or screw.
According to our said invention the split nut is formed with a tapered or conical
portion or extension which is cut or divided like the nut.
If a washer be employed with the nut it is formed with a tapered aperture
corresponding to and adapted to receive the aforesaid tapered or conical portion of
the nut.
In some cases instead of employing a washer, the tapered aperture may be formed
in the surface of the plate or the like on which the nut bears, or it may be
formed in another nut in advance of the split nut, the latter arrangement being a
useful one where double nuts are required and space is an object, as in torpedo boat
engines.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect we will proceed to describe the same by aid of the accompanying drawings in
which
Figure 1 is a plan, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of one form of our improved lock nut.
Figure 3 is a plan of a washer for use with the same.
Figure 4 is a section on the line x x Figure 1 showing the washer combined with
the nut.
Figures 5 and 6 shew in plan and side view a slightly different form of nut
and washer.
Figure 7 shews in section an arrangement where the washer is dispensed with
and the tapered aperture formed in the plate on which the nut bears, a railway
fish joint being shown for the purpose of illustration.
Figure 8 shows in side elevation a bolt with a pair of nuts one of which has
a conical portion let into an aperture in the other, and
Figure 9 is a view of the inner side of the nut having the conical portion thereon.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 3, a is the body of the improved
contractile nut, and a¹ is the tapered or conical portion thereof which immediately
surrounds the central aperture of the nut. a² is a cut or division by which the
nut is split so as to allow the expansion and contraction thereof. b is the washer
which it will be seen is of comparatively thick metal, and 1 is the tapered aperture
in the said washer, which is adapted to receive the portion a¹ on the nut. c is the
bolt or screw to which the said nut and washer are applied.
The result of this construction is that when the nut is screwed on to its bolt, and
the washer is in place as indicated in Figure 4, the aforesaid tapered portion a¹
enters the tapered aperture 61 in the washer, which latter thus exerts a wedging
action on the nut and forces the ends thereof on either side of the cut or division a²
closer towards one another. The threads of the nut thus bind tightly into those of
the bolt, and give a firm and reliable locking action, the grip of the nut being
greater, the greater the amount of force employed in screwing it up, or the finer the
pitch of the screw threads.
The nut and washer shown in Figures 5 and 6 are substantially similar to
those shown in the preceding figures with the exception that the cut or
division a² extends through the middle of one face of the nut instead of through an
angle or corner thereof.
Referring now to Figure 7 which as stated illustrates an application of our
improved nut to a railway fish-joint, d is the rail, and e e¹ are the fish-plates
thereof, being one of the bolts for securing the fish plates in position. Around
the bolt f is formed a tapered recess 61 in the plate e¹ similar to that in the

page_text: washer b above described. The locking of the nut is effected as in the previous
case by the wedging action which takes place between the tapered or conical
portion a¹ on the nut and the tapered surface of the recess 61.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 8 and 9 wherein two lock nuts are
provided, and ax represent the said nuts the former of which is formed with
the tapered or conical portion a¹ and the latter of which has a recess bas
indicated in dotted lines, to receive the said portion. In this case it will be observed
that instead of a single cut a² extending through both the body of the nut and the
conical portion thereof there are two cuts a arranged diametrically opposite each
other which however extend only through the said conical portion, and not through
the nut itself. The action is substantially the same as that before described since
the two parts of the projection a¹ are caused to close towards one another by the
wedging action which occurs when the nut a is screwed up towards a*. It will be
seen that as the nut a fits partly into the nut at the two nuts together take up less
room than two ordinary lock nuts, besides giving a more efficient locking action.
On this account the arrangement is very suitable for use on machinery of a very
compact kind such as torpedo boat engines.
Our improved lock nuts are suitable for all purposes for which lock nuts are
generally employed, and are more particularly adapted for use with machinery or
apparatus subject to excessive vibration or change of temperature or where great
security is required, such. for instance as locomotive and marine engines, railway
plant, bicycles and motor cars, steam hammers, propellor shafting, hydraulic
machinery for cranes and other purposes, and winding apparatus for colliery work.
The said lock-nuts may be made of any desired size and with any suitable threads,
such as Whitworth threads or gas threads. Moreover any suitable metal, such as
iron, steel, brass, copper, aluminium or platinum may be used in their manufacture
according to the purpose for which the nuts are intended. For example in brewery
work the bolt and nut of the arrangement shewn in Figure 4 may be made of brass
or copper while the washer may be made of steel.
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. A lock nut having a tapered or conical split portion adapted to contract and
grip the bolt or screw on which the nut works, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the aforesaid lock nut, of a washer or nut having a
tapered or conical aperture to receive the tapered portion of the lock nut,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. A split or contractile lock nut constructed and operating substantially as
described with reference to one or other of the various arrangements illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th, day of October, 1897.
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.,
45. Southampton Buildings, London, W,C., Agents for the Applicants.