US2777495A - Nut deformed into locking engagement by contact with workpiece - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1957 p v z'rz 2,777,495

NUT DEFORMED INTO LOCKING ENGAGEMENT BY CONTACT WITH WORKPIECE Filed Jan. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOR GEORGE PAVLINETZ,

ATTOR NEY Jan. 15, 1957 a. PAVLI TZ 2,777,495

NUT D MED INTO LO K NG EN EMENT ONTACT WITH WORKPI Filed Jan. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 34 JgJEZZ INVENTOR GEORGE PAVLINETZL BY ATTORNEY I means may define another of the rim openings.

NUT DEFORMED INTO LOCKING ENGAGE- MENT BY CONTACT WITH WORKPIECE George Pavliuetz, Carteret, N. J.

Application January 9, 1951, Serial No. 205,149

7 Claims. 01. 151-21 This invention relates to improved locking nuts which are at least partially constructed from sheet metal.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a lock nut which becomes more and more firmly engaged with the threaded member to which it is applied as it is driven home by virtue of what may be termed a multistage action. In developing the product, thebasic practical aspects of simplicity and ease of manufacture, lightness in weight, and adaptability to various sizes have received primary consideration.

I With the locking nut of the present invention it is proposed to produce a substantially uniformly distributed force about a bolt or screw to which the nut is applied and yet permit ready removal of the nut by means of a suitable wrench and repeated reuse thereof. This characteristic has been achieved by the combined eifects of resiliencyof the material itself and the form assigned thereto by fabrication.

' a gripping surface for use in the application and removal of the nut with respect to the threaded member for which it is intended. The helical edge forming means may assume the form of a plurality of resilient elements radially disposed on one of the rims defining a plurality'of helices for engagement with opposed threaded surf-aces. It is also contemplated that an internally threaded member be secured to one of the rims.

The helical edge forming means defining one of the rim openings may assume the form of tongues bent from the wall intermediate the struts, and a wall may extend axially from the junction of the struts with one of the rirhs. One of the rims may provide convergent work engaging elements deformable under strut transmitted forces to contract its axial opening and helical edge forming One .of

the 'rims may have work engaging elements each providing a fulcrum radially spaced from the ends of the struts whereby forces'transmitted by the struts increase the .ef-

fective length of such elements. One of the rims may carry work engaging elements deformable by forces transmitted through the struts having values less than ,those required to deform the struts. The. rim openings may be defined by deformable helical edge forming elements, such edge forming elements and the struts being sequentially deformable by compressive forces imposed upon the struts.

In one of its aspects, the locking nut of the present Fatented Jan. 15, 1957 2 invention comprises axially spaced continuous sheet metal rims containing substantially aligned axial openings, a substantially frusto-conical sheet metal wall interconnecting the rims and integral therewith, and bowed resilient tongues struck from the wall and having ends arranged helically for engagement with a screw. I

A more complete understanding of the invention will follow from a detailed description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of nut embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partially in section, taken along line 2--2 of Fig. 1, depicting the nut of Fig. 1 applied to I a bolt but not yet tightened;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 depicting the nut in its tightened or locked position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the nut line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view looking at the top nut of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view looking at the bottom of the nut of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modifiedform of nut;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the nut of Fig. 7, partially broken away; i

Fig. 9 is a perspective view looking at the top of a modified form of locking nut;

Fig. 10 is an elevation, partially broken away, depicting another modification;

Fig. 11 is a plan view, looking at the bottom of the nut of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a plan view depicting the top of another modification;

Fig. 13 is an elevation, partially broken away, of the modification shown in Fig. 12; V

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary showing on an enlarged scale of portions of the nut prior to the time that it has been driven home to its locking position, and generally cortaken along of the responding to the showing of Fig. 2;

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary view of another modified form of serrated helical edge applicable to any of the other figures of drawings; and

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary sectional elevation depicting the application of the helical edge of Fig. 19 to a threaded member.

The nut 30 depicted in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, is a one-piece stamping formed from sheet metal having an upper rim 32 and a lower rim 34 providing substantially aligned openings for the reception of a threaded bolt 36, a convergent sheet metal wall 38 containing perforations 40 from which the tongues 42 projecting from the lower rim 34 have been struck, the remaining portions of the wall forming mutually converging spaced yieldable and resilient struts 44 interconnecting the upper rim 32 with the lower rim 34 and integral therewith.

The tongues 42 are struck from the wall 38 in a progressive arrangement so as to provide a helical edge projecting radially inwardly from the rim 34 for engagement with the threads of a member such as the bolt 36 to which it is applied. The rim 32, though continuous,

is provided with a slot 46 in order that its thread engaging edge 48 can be pressed to assume a helical form, terminating in small serrations or teeth 50. Axially extending from the lower rim 34, as depicted in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, there is a hexagonal wrench engaging surface 52 to facilitate application and removal of the nut. The action of the nut shown in these figures when applied to a bolt 36 to clamp together a pair of plates 54 and 56 will be best understood with reference to Figs. 14 and 15 containing a fragmentary showing of the parts on a very much enlarged scale. As will be clear from these figures, the tongues 42, as particularly well shown in Fig. 14, are substantially convexly formed by the downwardly deflected portion 58 extending from the rim 34 to an abutment 60 for initial engagement with the plate 54, whereupon the tongues are bent upwardly, though slightly downwardly bowed to define a concave surface 62 which terminates in the thread engaging edge 64. It will also be noted from Fig. 14 that the inwardly directed portion of the rim 32 is slightly downwardly bowed to provide an upper concave surface 66 extending to the edge 48 from which the serrations or teeth 50 project for engagement with the threads of the bolt 36.0r similar member. In its original condition as depicted in Fig. 14, the nut will be loosely received by the threads of the bolt 36 so that 'it can be advanced rapidly until its abutting portions 60 engage the plate 54. As the nut is advanced farther with respect to the bolt, as depicted in Fig. 15, the lower edges of the teeth 50 resting on the upper surface of the thread 67 will be biased upwardly until the upper edges of these teeth 50 engage the upper surface 68 of the thread formed on the bolt 36 applying a thrust to the struts 44 which transmits the force acting as a moment about the abut- .ments 60 of the tongues 42 causing the peripheral portion of the rim 34 to approach the plate 54 and finally seat upon it. Inasmuch as the upward movement of the ends of the tongues 42 will be limited by the threads of the bolt 36, as the rim 34 moves downwardly under the eifect of the forces transmitted by the struts, the ends of the tongues 42 will move inwardly to produce a flattening of the portion 58 of each tongue as depicted in Fig. 15. Further tightening of the nut after the rim 34 has become thus seated, results in a downward bowing of the struts 44 as shown in Fig. 15, so that the helices projecting from both the upper and lower rims will resiliently engage the threads of the bolt 36 and the nut will effectively retain its position until its removal is desired. When the nut is turned to remove it from the bolt, its inherent resilience will cause it to approach its original condition so that it can be reused if desired.

The arrows appearing in Figs. 14 and 15 will assist in understanding the effects produced during the application of a nut to the bolt. The arrows 7t) depict the direction of movement of the bolt relative to the nut, the arrow 72 indicates the movement of the teeth towards the lower surface of the thread as the nut is tightened, the arrow 74 indicates the reaction on the plate 54 as the rim 34 is forced downwardly, the arrow 76 indicates the direction of movement of the tongues 42 resulting from the application of the forces through the struts, the arrow 78'indicates the direction in which the helical edge of the tongue 42 moves to assume its biting relationship with the threads of the bolt 36, the arrow 80 indicates the reaction of the struts 44 as they become bowed to act upon the rim 32, and the arrow 82 indicates the direction in which the rim 32 tends to move to drive its serrated edge into biting engagement with the thread of the bolt 36.

The modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8 lacks the axial wall 52, terminating instead in a radial wall 84 having a plurality of slots or notches 86 formed therein to produce an interlocking relationship with a nut 88. A flange 90 provided by the nut 88 is swaged over the radial flange 84, forming projections 91 received by the notches 86, so that the assembly becomes for all practical purposes, unitary. In this form of the invention, it will be clear that three sets of helices willengage the threads of a bolt, namely, those provided on the nut 88, the edges of the tongues 42 and the edge 48. In this modification, as in others to be described, reference characters corresponding to those employed in Figs. 1 to 6, l4 and 15, have been utilized where feasible.

The modification depicted in Fig. 9 is somewhat analogous to the showing of Fig. 5 excepting that the tongues 42 have been entirely removed, thus providing a structure embodying only a portion of the advantages of the structure containing the tongues.

Figs. 10 and 11 depict a further modification wherein an axial wall 92 projects downwardly from the rim 34 to define a wrench engaging hexagonal surface, terminating at its lower end in inturned tongues 94 having their edges 96 helically arranged to provide a third helix for engagement with the threads of the member to which the nut is applied.

Figs. 12 and 13 depict another modification somewhat along the lines of that shown in Figs. 10 and 11, but instead of having the downwardly directed axial wall 92 terminate in tongues, the wall 92 in this instance is bent along its lower edge 98 into engagement with the outer surface of a nut 100, which cooperates with the sheet metal member to provide a third helix for engagement with the threads of a bolt.

Under some circumstances, it will be desirable to.

provide an additional helix at the upper rim 32 instead of using the teeth or serrations 50 as depicted on an enlarged scale in Fig. 16. Under such circumstances, the rim 32 may have its inwardly projecting portion radially slit to provide downturned tongues 102 for engagement with the lower surface 68 of the threaded member 36 and upwardly directed tongues 104 whose lower surfaces engage the upper surface 67 of the threaded member. As clearly shown in Fig. 18, these upwardly and downwardly directed tongues define a V-shaped notch which straddles the thread of the bolt 36.

Another variation has been depicted in Figs. 19 and 20 wherein a lower set of tongues 106 define a helix in cooperation with upper tongues 108 which define another helix for straddling a convolution of the threads carried by the bolt 36. In this case, the portions of the tongues adjacent the thread are substantially perpendicular to the axis of the bolt. This configuration permits the tongues to produce a biting action on the threads where such an efiect is desired.

Whereas several modifications of the invention have been depicted, the variations contemplated by applicant have been by no means exhausted by these illustrated forms. Accordingly, since this disclosure will indicate to those skilled in the art how the invention can be further modified, the forms illustrated should not be construed as restrictive beyond the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A locking nut comprising axially spaced continuous sheet metal rims containing substantially equal aligned axial threaded openings, a perforate sheet metal wall converging substantially throughout its length defining mutually converging spaced yieldable struts interconnecting said rims and integral therewith, one of said rims providing convergent work engaging elements deformable under strut transmitted forces to contract its axial opening, and helical edge forming means defining another of said rim threaded openings.

2. A locking nut as set forth in claim 1 wherein said yieldable struts are resilient.

3. A locking nut as set forth in claim 1 wherein one of said rims is annular.

4. A locking nut as set forth in claim 1 wherein one of said rims provides a gripping surface.

5. A locking nut as set forth in claim 1 wherein said helical edge forming means is resilient.

6. A locking nut as set forth in claim 1 wherein said helical edge forming means comprises a plurality of elements radially disposed on one of said rims.

7. A locking nut as set forth in claim 1 wherein said helical edge forming means comprises resilient elements radially disposed on one of said rims defining a plurality of helices for engagement with opposed thread surfaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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