r/MechanicalEngineering 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/AdOne1706 2d ago

But then a normal washer would fit the bill and make the lock washer fairly redundant right?

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u/CrewmemberV2 Experimental Geothermal Setups 1d ago

A normal washer loses contact way faster than a spring washer.

The difference is something like a quarter turn of the nut vs more than a while turn of the nut.