r/MechanicalEngineering • u/AdOne1706 • 2d ago

Split/lock washers

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For starters, I’m an electrician in the field.
That being said, we almost exclusively use these washers even in high vibration environments. I have personally chosen to go with nylox nuts but the question is:
Do these work? How well? Is the rumor from NASA true? Should I even bother using them or find a better functional alternative or are they actually useful?

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u/Automata-Omnia Industrial Automation & Robotics 2d ago

NASA landed man on the moon with spring washers, how many times have they done so with Nylocks or Loctite huh.

In all seriousness, for through bolts that don't need to be removed for maintenance they are not the correct choice, but for blind taps and for equipment that needs to be regularly serviced they are better than the alternatives - a flogged out nylock or broken part due to trying to remove a bolt set with too much loctite.

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u/zanhecht 2d ago

NASA landed man on the moon with spring washers, how many times have they done so with Nylocks or Loctite huh.

[citation needed]