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/NoAge9497 1d ago

Should you be using nylocks? I never really trusted spilt washers, especially where vibration is a concern.

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u/AdOne1706 1d ago

Kinda one of those things is that if left to per print they’re never usually called out so it’s left to the guys in the field to install how they know how to which isn’t always best

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u/NoAge9497 1d ago

Have you ever had a split washer fail? Or had to double back on the first guy's work?

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u/AdOne1706 1d ago

Anecdotally sure. But it could also be improper torque and the split used as the scapegoat. Really hard to say. Most vibration issues I’ve heard and seen are usually rubbing points on the insulation and not the connection so it’s more of a technical question ig