Spring-Leg Locknut Assembly for Reusable Vibration Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locknuts are prone to loosening due to vibration and thermal expansion/contraction in machinery environments, posing safety risks and requiring separate tools for installation and removal, which increases manufacturing costs and limits their use in high-volume applications.
Innovation Solution
A locknut design featuring a nut body with a spring member having parallel leg members and locking surfaces that exert pressure on an externally threaded member at opposed radial locations, providing a locking force without relying on plastic inserts and allowing for repeated use without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional locknuts are used to prevent loosening in vibrational environments, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locknut is divided into two functional segments: a nut body portion that threads onto the bolt, and a separate spring member with locking legs that engages with the bolt threads. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and manufactured separately, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member acts as an intermediary element between the nut body and the bolt threads. Instead of directly modifying the nut body to create locking features, the spring member mediates the locking function by engaging with the bolt threads and applying lateral force, simplifying the overall design.
2Reliability
If conventional locknuts are used to prevent loosening, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring separate tools for installation and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member is designed to automatically engage with the bolt threads when the nut is threaded onto the bolt, and to automatically disengage when the nut is removed. The spring's inherent elasticity provides the locking action without requiring additional tools or operations, making the system self-servicing.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member is designed with elastic properties that allow it to dynamically adapt to the bolt threads during installation and removal. The spring can compress and expand to engage and disengage from the threads, providing automatic locking and unlocking functionality that simplifies operation.
3Reliability
If conventional locknuts are used to prevent loosening, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member is designed as a simple, inexpensive component that can be manufactured from standard spring stock using conventional forming processes. The simplicity of the spring member design with its basic geometry and standard material properties enables cost-effective manufacturing, making the overall locknut system more economical than complex integrated locking nuts.
4Force
If conventional locknuts are used, then locking force is provided, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to higher manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member's locking force is controlled by adjusting parameters such as wire diameter, spring index, and material properties. By optimizing these parameters, the desired locking force is achieved while maintaining cost-effective manufacturing. The spring's elastic properties provide sufficient locking force through controlled deflection against the bolt threads.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively prevents loosening of locknuts in vibrational environments, allows for easy installation and removal without tools, and reduces manufacturing costs, enabling their use in applications where high volumes are required.
Implementation Method 1
A spring member disposed within the pocket includes at least first and second leg members joined together by an apex member... The first and second locking surfaces exert pressure on the externally threaded member at substantially opposed radial locations to develop a locking force between the nut body and the externally threaded member.
Data Source
AI summary
A locknut includes a nut body having a threaded through opening therein extending between a first end and a second end. A pocket is defined within the second end of the nut body. A spring member disposed within the pocket includes a pair of leg members joined together by an apex member so that the leg members are disposed in substantially parallel, spaced-apart relation to one another. The leg members define locking surfaces thereon so that when the externally threaded member is threaded into the threaded through opening defined by the nut body the externally threaded member contacts the locking surfaces. The locking surfaces exert pressure on the externally threaded member at substantially opposed radial locations to develop a locking force between the nut body and the externally threaded member.