On Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:39:44 -0500, Richard wrote:

On 6/7/2013 11:35 AM, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:51:22 -0700, PrecisionmachinisT wrote:

wrote in message
...
When using a nut, lock washer and bolt, should you also use a flat
washer between the object and the lock washer? I have seen it done a
million times that way but it seems the flat washer defeats the
purpose of the lock washer. I assume the lock washer is there to dig
in a bit to the object and the nut to keep it from loosening. The
flat washer seems like it would allow the lock washer to rotate
without digging in to the object.

Anyone know?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer_%28hardware%
29#Spring_and_locking_washers

It may be worth a more extensive search. A mechanical engineer I know,
whose a very sharp guy, told me that someone did a study and determined
that split washers work because they act as springs that keep the
tension on the threads in one direction.

Wikipedia is not always a reliable source.



Then edit the page so that it is more reliable...

I'm not a reliable enough source, either. I was advising the OP to look
around and make up his own mind, not to believe what I said without
question.

If I needed to know I'd do a literature search -- starting, I admit, by
looking up my old mechanical engineering colleague, to see if he could
remember where he saw the note (I think it was NASA tech briefs. NASA
was doing all sorts of studies in that vein for a while).

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software
http://www.wescottdesign.com