Fed up of Experiencing Loose Screws, Here Are Ways to Prevent Them

Do you frequently experience loose screws in your equipment or other assemblies where you have used bolts or screws? Do you know the reason why this happens? After a time span, pressurized bolted flange joints begin to lose the resistance to torque or vibration, thus leading to such troublesome situations. As a leading locknuts manufacturer and supplier, TriState Locknuts believes that loose screws can inflict greater damage to your equipment. Therefore, it’s time to switch to the best solution. What is it? Read on to know what to use to prevent loose screws situation.

Why the locknuts become loose?

When the nut is tightened, it is stretched for a small amount. This results in an opposing clamp force that holds two sections of the joint together. The clamping force weakens as soon as the bolt becomes loose. If the joint is not quickly tightened, the applications begin to leak fluid or gas. This all together leads to breakage and damage to the equipment, thus resulting in catastrophic accidents.

There are at least five causes of loose bolts, which can occur separately or in combination: Vibration, embedding, under-tightening, thermal expansion, and shock.

How to prevent loose locknuts?

Washers – Washers have an additional surface area which adds extra friction to the joint and maintains the clamp force. There are available a myriad of washers that dig into the surface of the joint during the tightening process in order to prevent loosening. For instance, wedge locking washers are designed in way to add tension to the bolted joints when the bolt begins to turn loose due to vibration or shock in order to prevent loss of clamp force.

Prevailing Torque Locknuts – To prevent loosening, manufacturers often add nylon or metal inserts inside a nut to add extra friction. We can even use a spring inside the nut, so that it firmly grasp the nut threads. When vibration or pressure causes it to unwind, the nut will move in the opposite direction. Prevailing torque locknuts are resistant to vibration/torque so chances of their loosening are less. You can’t reuse these nuts as the nut threads cut grooves into the nylon, which reduces its ability to hold after when you tighten it again onto any surface.

Double Nuts – To prevent the loosening of bolted joints, many companies have used two nuts i.e., one thin and one thick, for past several years. However, in the modern days, companies use two nuts having different sized threads and they move at different rates on a dual threaded bolt. This process of using two nuts creates transverse motion, so one nut can easily advance without affecting the second one.

TriState Locknuts is a manufacturer and supplier of prevailing torque locknuts, and we believe the most accurate way to prevent loosening of fasteners is to use all-metal prevailing torque locknuts. To be successful in preventing loose bolts/screws, properly tighten washers, prevailing torque locknuts or double nuts and keep a routine check on them. In these ways, you can prevent nuts from getting loosened. It will also put an end to the problem of breakage or equipment breakdowns.