What Does A Lock Washer Do? Things You Should Know!

Disc-shaped pieces of material with a hole in the center are known as washers, and they are frequently used in conjunction with bolts. To prevent damage to the attached workpiece, they are commonly utilized to distribute the load of a bolt more evenly. The top of the shaft, where the bolt’s head meets the shaft, is covered with a washer before it is driven into the workpiece. Bolt compression forces will be transferred to the washer when it is pressed into a workpiece.

Washers, on the other hand, come in a wide variety of configurations. Lock washers are distinct from flat washers, which are categorized as such. Are flat washers better or worse than their lock counterparts?

What Is a Flat Washer?

In terms of washer design, flat washers are the most prevalent. Their moniker, “flat design,” comes from the flatness of their aesthetic. This type of washer is neither bent nor protruding. As opposed to being curved, they are flat on both sides. They distribute loads very well because of their flat form.

Bolt compressive pressures will be imparted to the bolt’s head without a washer. These compressive pressures are absorbed by a flat washer, which then distributes them more evenly.

Flat washers are commonly produced from the following materials:

• Stainless steel is
• Steel with a high carbon content
• Brass
• Copper

What Is a Lock Washer?

This sort of washer is also known as a split washer and is meant to keep the bolt from loosening or falling out of its installed position. The lock washers aren’t flat. Its semi-coiled shape allows it to gradually ascend. Lock washers can be added with this design, which creates stress.

In order to prevent the bolt from rotating, lock washers are used. Nuts can also be used in this way. A nut can prevent a bolt from loosening if it is attached to the end of it. Nuts have the drawback of being easily rattled loose. Vibrations can cause a nut to loosen. Too much loosening of the bolt’s nut can result in the workpiece’s threaded hole becoming loose. The bolt, on the other hand, will not come out if you use a lock washer. The bolt will be “locked” in place in the workpiece’s threaded hole by a lock washer.

What Is the Purpose of a Lock Washer?

Washing machines come in a wide variety of forms and sizes. Each sort of washer has a certain purpose. Lock washers, on the other hand, are meant to keep nuts and bolts from separating from each other. Lock washers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Each had a certain function in mind when it was created. Uneven ends of some lock washers give them the appearance of rings. Others look like a star with a ring of teeth surrounding it.

Locking Washer Function

Because of vibration and torque, nuts and bolts might turn, slip, and come loose. The nut and bolt are held in place by lock washers, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In some cases, the ends of lock washers bite into the base material and the nut to perform this purpose.

Types of Lock Washers

Often referred to as a “split washer,” the helical lock washer has unequal ends. Rings have teeth that bite into the fastener to prevent them from rotating. Using internal-tooth lock washers ensures a strong connection between small fastener heads and the washer.

If you’re using a large fastener head, you’ll want to use external-tooth lock washers (also known as “star washers”). An external-internal/combination lock washer has both internal and external teeth. Large fastener heads enhance the level of security.

When tightening torques are high, pyramidal-type lock washers might be utilized. Flat or oval head screws with countersunk angles of 82 or 100 degrees utilize countersunk lock washers.

The high torque needed to hold thin or soft materials is well-suited for dome-type lock washers, which disperse the load over a larger surface area.

Unlike domed lock washers, dish washers can be utilized in applications where less torque or load is required.

Most Common Materials

Typical lock washer materials include aluminum, stainless steel, K-Monel, bronze, zinc, phosphor bronze alloy and carbon steel. The lock washer’s fastening strength can be lost if the material utilized to make it isn’t strong enough.

Locking Washer Applications

Lock washers are commonly used in applications involving vibration and possible slippage of fasteners. The transportation industry is one of the most frequent users of lock washers (automotive, aircraft, marine). Air handlers and clothes washers can both benefit from the usage of lock washers (washing machines).

Warning

It is possible for a helical lock washer to flatten out and lose its locking capacity if too much torque is applied to it. Using a lock washer to fasten a bolt that is too tiny for the hole in the portion being secured is a bad idea. Using them to tighten long bolts or nuts is likewise not recommended.

When and Why You Should Use a Spring Lock Washer?

Washing machines come in a wide variety of forms and sizes. Each sort of washer has a certain purpose. Lock washers, on the other hand, are meant to keep nuts and bolts from separating from each other. Lock washers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Each had a certain function in mind when it was created. Uneven ends of some lock washers give them the appearance of rings. Others look like a star with a ring of teeth surrounding it.

Types of Spring Lock Washers

Often referred to as a “split washer,” the helical lock washer has unequal ends. Rings have teeth that bite into the fastener to prevent them from rotating. Using internal-tooth lock washers ensures a strong connection between small fastener heads and the washer.

External-tooth lock washer (also called a “star washer”) have the teeth located on the outside of the washer ring, which works well with large fastener heads. An external-internal/combination lock washer has both internal and external teeth. Large fastener heads enhance the level of security.

Materials of Spring Lock Washers

External-tooth lock washer (also called a “star washer”) have the teeth located on the outside of the washer ring, which works well with large fastener heads. An external-internal/combination lock washer has both internal and external teeth. Large fastener heads enhance the level of security.

Function of Spring Lock Washer

Large fastener heads are well-suited for external-tooth lock washers (also known as “star washers”), which have their teeth situated on the outer ring. External-Internal/Combination lock washers feature teeth on both the inside and exterior of the ring. In addition, the larger fastener heads enhance the overall level of security.

Applications of Spring Lock Washer

A common application for lock washers is in applications where there is a risk of fastener slippage due to vibration. The transportation industry is one of the most frequent users of lock washers (automotive, aircraft, marine). Air handlers and clothes washers can both benefit from the usage of lock washers (washing machines).

FAQs

When should you use a lock washer?

Increasing the fastener’s contact surface area with the fastener is accomplished by using flat washers. To prevent the nut from coming loose in the future, lock washers are utilized to create tension while the nut is being tightened.

Are lock washers worth it?

Experiments and personal experience reveal that they do not inhibit loosening and can even be proved to speed up the process in many instances. In 1969, Junker demonstrated that these washers were unsuccessful in preventing loosening.

What is the function of a lock washer?

Under typical fasteners, lock washers are designed to be tethered to a specific torque level. They keep the fastener from vibrating loose by exerting a spring strain. The nut side of the fastener is often where they are joined to the fastening bolts.

Does lock washer go on first?

Using a lock washer properly ensures that the nut or other threaded fastener does not fall out of position. This will be made easier by placing the lock washer below the fastener first. Lock washers should be installed before any other washers or hardware components in order to keep them in place.

Should a flat washer be used with a lock washer?

To secure a nut or other object, a lock washer is meant to be pressed into the surface of the fastener. Using flat washers prevents pull through or bending of the object being fastened, but they render lock washers pointless.

Do split lock washers do anything?

Bolts can be prevented from coming loose by using split washers. During vibrations, the split washer will push back against it. Due to their ability to keep the bolts with which they are used from loosening, split washers are perfect for applications that may be subject to vibration.

What is the difference between a lock washer and a flat washer?

Washers with flat sides are the most basic type of washer. These semi-coiling locks are used to keep bolts in place.

How do lock nuts work?

By increasing the amount of friction on the bolt’s thread, locking nuts help keep bolted joints secure. Locking nuts can be made of metal or polymer, such as the nylon insert nut, to increase friction.

Should you use a lock washer with a lock nut?

If you’re using a nut-and-bolt setup, put the lock washer between the nut and the work surface. If you’re using a tapped hole arrangement, put the lock washer between the fastener head and the work surface. In other words, because the bolt does not protrude from the other end and does not require a nut, one does not need to use one.

What is a crush washer?

When you think of a washer, you probably think of the kind that goes around a bolt, not the kind you put in the laundry room next to the dryer. Because they’re fashioned out of a very pliable metal, they’re able to better seal the gap. On your car, you may have them on the sparkplugs or the oil pan plug

Does it matter where the lock washer goes?

The washer protects the surface of the object being fastened from being scratched or damaged by the fastener. When the bolt is easy to turn, it has a spherical head, which is less likely to cause harm. For the same reason, lock washers are always used in conjunction with nuts to prevent them from loosening during installation.

What does a nut do?

Threaded nuts are the most often used fasteners. Nuts and bolts are nearly always used jointly to secure various elements.

Which side of a washer goes down?

The closer you get to the surface, the sharper the edge. There is a rounded edge on the side that travels toward the nut or bolt Using a flat washer in between the nut/bolt and the split lock washer is recommended.