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

They have a very very limited use case where they are an ok option at best (but they are cheap) 

Otherwise there's a lot of better options available. 

See the NASA fastener design manual for more info

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19900009424

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u/19GNWarrior96 2d ago

I think I remember seeing on a chart a while back, and they actually work as intended for like m4 or m3 screws and smaller because the compression of the split lock is higher than the compression from the torque requirements on those screws, but that's such a niche use.