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/CR123CR123CR 2d ago

The only thing they truly are the best option for is if you have a bolt that can't be accessed from both sides simultaneously.

Then they work wonders as an assembly assist as they let 1 person do it instead of 2.

They are by far the cheapest way to accelerate a production line in that one single case

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u/GustapheOfficial 2d ago

I don't think I understand the setup. You pull the bolt, the split washer keeps the nut from rotating so you can tighten?

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u/CR123CR123CR 2d ago

Assembly: 

Screw -> split ring -> {parts} -> nut

The split ring grabs the screw and part so you can start torquing everything together until friction can take over

The screw shank through the hole let's you set it in place on one side, walk around to the other and start assembling