Patent ID: 6966736

Claim:
A locknut with a deformable member, comprising: (a) a metal threaded nut body with a central axis and atop end having a top surface; (b) the threaded nut body having a plurality of internal threads defined along a first radius from the central axis, the plurality of threads defining a threaded body length dimension along the central axis having a top end, the plurality of threads further having a common thread diameter having a radius dimension; (c) an aperture forged at the nut body top end about the central axis and having a first volume dimension, the aperture defined by a plurality of forged generally triangular splines disposed in a circular array about the central axis from the top surface to a forged actuating wall; (d) each of the plurality of splines further having first and second forged planar sidewalls meeting to form a forge pointed linear engagement edge, the first and second sidewalls and edges extending from the top surface to the actuating wall and parallel to the central axis, the engagement edges arrayed along an edge radius about the central axis and larger than the first thread diameter radius; (e) a plurality of generally triangular spline voids each defined between the first and second sidewalls of adjacent spines having a V-shaped groove along the length of the sidewalls parallel to the central axis; (f) the first and second sidewall defining an angle with a value of from about 60 to about 120 degrees; (g) the engagement edges arrayed with a pitch value per inch of between 10 to 24; and (h) a deformable locking member having a second volume dimension larger than the aperture first volume and inserted within said aperture and having an outer surface engaged by the engagement edges, a top workpiece engagement surface, a cylindrical inner surface and a bottom actuating surface, wherein the outer surface is disposed on an outer surface radius about the central axis and larger than the edge radius; wherein the deformable member is configured to deform and substantially flow into the spline voids and into the threads of a workpiece bolt when the member is tightened onto a workpiece bolt until the member top surface is compressively engaged by a workpiece surface and the member bottom actuating surface is compressively engaged by the aperture actuating wall, the member thereby exerting expansion locking forces against the workpiece bolt threads; and wherein the deformable member is configured to remain engaged by the spline sidewall and edges and rotate with the locknut when the locknut is loosened about the workpiece bolt.