Do you find yourself tightening nuts and bolts repeatedly? If you are tired of fixing the legs on the end tables in the bedroom or the dining room, you need to look into other options. Although the nut and bolt are the most commonly used fixtures when securing an object, occasionally there is not enough pressure or friction to keep them from loosening when affected by vibrations and other elements.
To prevent bolts and nuts from loosening and the objects coming apart, a newer technology has been developed called Belleville washers. A Belleville washer is similar to a nut, but mixed with a spring. Once you have applied the necessary force to the washer, you are able to get the Belleville washer to produce the needed pressure causing the friction needed to keep the bolt from slipping. Using a Belleville washer allows you to disperse the pressure across the entire arc instead of a focused point. By using two Belleville washers, one at the end of the nut and one at the end of the bolt, you are providing more support more stability.
Belleville washers are best when used you are needing to connect two flawless metals or a considerable electric current flow. Although Belleville washers are extraordinary when handling thermal cycling, they cannot make up for shoddy handiwork. The connections must be assembled accurately.
Although Belleville washers seem to be very straightforward, you need to double-check that you are using the proper washer for your project. To select the appropriate Belleville washer, you will need to look at three things: torque, diameter, and finish.
Torque is the pressure that you deliver to the bolt in order to compress the washer to its shape to get the appropriate fit from the washer. This is done by tightening the bolt until its threading starts to become distorted. In order to get the required pressure applied, you must make sure that the bolt and washer’s workload matches.
The diameter is how big or little the washer needs to be. Using a larger washer will cause it to bend away from the bolt, instead of applying pressure; while a smaller washer cannot distribute the needed pressure and the bolt will become loosened or the washer will break.
Washers can come with several different finishes. Although many projects are able to use the standard finished washers, other jobs that are near solvents or fumes will need a customer finish. To customize your washers, you can find them here. By ordering the properly finished washers, you will make sure that they will not break.
Don’t assume that the washer you’ve selected will work for just any bolt or project. It might work for putting together the kitchen table or the end tables, but you would hate to use the wrong tool for a kids’ bunk bed project. When using hardware, it is always better to be safe than sorry, even with something as simple as a washer.
