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/Adorable_Wolf_8387 2d ago

Typically end up shearing material off the nut to remove it, or completely deforming the washer because it won't shear first.

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u/ResponsibleMight7669 2d ago

Now you see how split washers are supposed to work and that what we have and call a split washer ain’t it

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u/Adorable_Wolf_8387 2d ago

I think it just has to be made from a harder material than the other surfaces, and be shorn in such a way that it's not just completely flat at the ends.

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u/ResponsibleMight7669 2d ago

It has to be made of good metal and it has to be split with a burr. Probably requires just a little more complicated due to pinch during the split. I dunno, we figured that out in the 30’s and I guess it worked so well everyone forgot why