US3705524A

US3705524A - Lock nut assembly and bolt and wrench for use therewith

Info

Publication number: US3705524A
Application number: US113120A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugene C Greenwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-12-12
Filing date: 1971-02-08
Publication date: 1972-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 1989-12-12

Abstract

A specialized wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut, the wrench comprising a handle and a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein of conventional configuration which is adapted to receive and engage the outer surface of the nut and a generally cylindrical ring rigidly supported within the nut receiving socket, coaxially therewith, the ring adapted to engage and force the lock ring axially into the central recess in the nut.

Description

United States Patent Greenwood 1 Dec. 12, 1972 [54] LOCK NUT ASSEMBLY AND BOLT gorris ..151/8 a enson AND WRENCH FOR USE THEREWITH 883,102 3/1908 Ellis ..l51/8 [72] Inventor: Eugene C. Greenwood, 468 Prospect Street, Newport Beach, Calif. 92660 Filed: Feb. 8, 1971 Appl. No.1 113,120

Related US. Application Data Division of Sort No. 783,311, Dec. 12, 1968, Pat. No. 3,581,609.

US. Cl. ..81/l2lR Int. Cl. ..B25b 13/06 Field ofSearch ..81/12l R, 121,90; 151/6, 8,

Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. Attorney-Hinderstein & Silber [57] ABSTRACT v the central recess in the nut.

2,488,894 11/1949 Barrett ..8l/l24.1

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures P'A'TENTEDuEc 12 m2 3. 705. 524

INVENTOR. EUGENE C. GREENWOOD ATTORNEYS LOCK NUT ASSEMBLY AND BOLT AND WRENCH FOR USE THEREWITI-I CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a division of my copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 783,31l f1led Dec. 12, 1968,

now U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,609, for Lock Nut Assembly and Bolt and Wrench for Use Therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a specialized wrench and, more particularly, to a wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut.

2. Description of the Prior Art In my prior copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 783,311 filed Dec. 12, 1968 for a Lock Nut Assembly and Bolt and Wrench for Use Therewith, there is disclosed a radically new concept for a lock nut and bolt in which unrestricted turning of the nut and bolt is permitted in either direction and in which the nut holds its SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION any new position. When the desired location of the nut position by a positive mechanical lock in any one of many possible positions. The nut and bolt may be relocated or repositioned any number of times without impairing the locking effectiveness thereof and while still retaining the same ultra-high torque value required to rotate the nut or bolt, this torque value approaching the strength of the, nut and bolt. Such lock nut and bolt are particularly suited for use in critical conditions where continuous readjustment is required, and is ideally suited for situations where the nut is subjected to torsion from the parts being held together, such as in the case with axles, rotating shafts, valve pull-down stems, etc.

Briefly, such lock nut assembly and bolt for use therewith comprises a nut having central recess including a plurality of inwardly extending serrations along the face thereof. A floating, captured lock ring comprising an inwardly extending tongue which co-acts with a groove running the length of the threads on the bolt to prevent rotation of the lock ring, and a plurality of serrations extending outwardly from the outer surface thereof is positioned in the recess, the lock ring being urged by a light spring into the locked position in which the serrations on the ring engage the serrations on the nut, preventing rotation of the nut and locking the nut and bolt together. To move the nut, the lock ring must be depressed against the pressure of the spring, disengaging the serrations and allowing the nut to be rotated to a new position. When the desired location of the nut is reached, the lock ring is raised, allowing the serrations on the ring to engage the serrations on the nut. With the serrations engaged, the spring holds the ring in engagement until it is deliberately .depressed.

Still another feature of such lock nut and bolt is that they possess the safety advantage that they cannot be easily unscrewed or changed without the aid of a tool for depressing the lock ring against the pressure of the spring. In this manner, vandals and unauthorized tampering is minimized, if not totally eliminated. However, no such special tool is presently available.

is reached, the wrench is removed whereupon the lock ring automatically returns to its locked position.

Briefly, the present wrench is of the type including a handle and a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive the nut and engage the outer surface of the nut. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the head portion rigidly supports a generally cylindrical ring within the nut-receiving socket, coaxially therewith, such ring adapted to engage and force the lock ring of the nut axially into the recess therein.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a specialized wrench.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut.

Still other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts in the several figures and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a lock nut assembly and bolt for use therewith on which the present wrench may be used;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken along the line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a leaf-spring washer adapted for use in the lock nut assembly of FIGS 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lock ring adapted for use in the lock nut assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan viewof a wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention adapted for use with the nut and bolt of FIGS. 1-4; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wrench of FIG. 5 taken along the line 66 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT l060l0 OllO For purposes of explanation, nut 2 may be considered as having an upper portion 7 and a lower portion 8, lower portion 8 having a threaded hole therein which engages the threads on stem 5. Upper portion 7 includes a cylindrical recess 9 which is aligned with the centerline of nut 2 and which extends the entire length of upper portion 7. A plurality of inwardly extending serrations 10 are positioned on face 11 of recess 9 around the entire circumference thereof. The depth of the serrated portion of recess 9 is approximately equal to half of the total depth thereof, for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter.

Lock nut assembly 1 further comprises a lock ring or annulus 12 which has a plurality of serrations 13 extending outwardly from the outer surface thereof, serrations 13 on lock ring 12 having the same general dimensions and the same angular spacing as serrations 10 on face 1 l of nut 2. The inside diameter of lock ring 12 is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the threads on stem 5 of bolt 3, so that lock ring 12 fits over stem 5 and into recess 9 in nut 2. For maximum strength, the thickness of lock ring 12 should be approximately equal to the depth of the serrated portion of recess 9. When in the position shown in FIG. 2, which is the locked position, serrations 13 on lock ring 12 mate with serrations 10 on nut 2 so that relative rotation of lock ring 12 and nut 2 is prevented. Furthermore, although a space is shown between serrations l and 13 in FIGS. 1 and 2, such a showing is purely for the purpose of illustration. In practice, a snug fit between nut 2 and ring 12 is desirable and

serrations

10 and 13 would be in contact.

Lock ring 12 further includes an inwardly extending tongue 14 whose width and depth are generally the same, but slightly less, than the width and depth of groove 6 in stem of bolt 3. For this reason, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, tongue 14 of ring 12 extends into groove 6 in stem 5 so that lock ring 12 is axially movable relative to stem 5 but not rotatable relative thereto.

The only remaining portion of lock nut assembly 1 is a means for urging lock ring 12 towards the serrated portion of nut 2. Such means may be any one of many commercially available compressible members. A typical member is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and comprises a Washer 15, the outer half of which is split to form a plurality of arms 16 which are extended axially to provide a plurality of leaf spring members. Although not shown to scale in FIG. 3, the inside diameter of spring-washer 15 is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the threads on stem 5 and the outside diameter thereof is less than the inside diameter of serrations 10, so that spring-washer l5 readily fits over stem 5 of bolt 3, past serrations 10, and into recess 9 where it is positioned in contact with the base thereof. In addition, leaf springs 16 contact the lower surface of lock ring 12 when lock ring 12 is positioned in recess 9 of nut 2. The main feature of spring-washer 15 is that it provides enough force to hold lock ring 12 in place in contact with serrations on nut 2.

In operation, spring-washer is first inserted in recess 9 of nut 2 whereupon lock ring 12 is inserted therein, depressing leaf springs 16 slightly, to form a unitary assembly. Washer 15, lock ring 12 and nut 2 may be held together by deforming the metal of nut 2 above lock ring 12, as shown at 17, for example, after lock ring 12 has been placed inside recess 9. Springwasher 15 will then urge lock ring 12 towards the open end of nut 2. Therefore, when at rest, and in the locked position, spring-washer 15 holds lock ring 12 in a position where serrations 13 thereon engage serrations 10 on nut 2. In this position, relative rotation between nut 2 and ring 12 is prohibited. Furthermore, since relative rotation between lock ring 12 and bolt 3 is, at all times, prohibited by tongue 14 extending into groove 6, nut 2 and bolt 3 are securely locked together.

When it is desired to move nut 2, lock ring 12 must be depressed against the action of spring-washer 15 so that serrations 13 on lock ring 12 disengage serrations 10 on nut 2, thereby allowing nut 2 to be freely rotated to a new position on bolt 3. When nut 2 reaches the approximate location desired, lock ring 12 is released to allow leaf springs 16 of washer 15 to push lock ring 12 up against the bottom side of serrations 10 on nut 2. If

serrations

10 and 13 do not immediately engage, as will usually be the case, it is only necessary to adjust nut 2 either slightly looser or slightly tighter to enable

serrations

10 and 13 of nut 2 and lock ring 12, respectively, to engage. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, with 24 serrations on nut 2 and lock ring 12, turning of nut 1 a maximum of 15 in either direction will cause serrations l0 and 13 to mesh. Any number of serrations may be provided. As is evident, the more serrations there are, the more positions nut 2 may occupy with reference to bolt 3.

With serrations l0 and 13 engaged, the action of spring-washer 15 holds lock ring 12 in engagement until it is deliberately depressed. Once engaged, nut 2 cannot be turned on bolt 3 without shearing either

serrations

10 or 13 or key 14 in groove 6. In this regard, lock ring 12 may have one, two or more tongues 14 matching a like number of grooves 6 in bolt 3 to give added strength to assembly 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 there is shown the present wrench, generally designated 20, which may be used with lock nut assembly 1. For purposes of explanation, wrench 20 is of the box type, including a handle 21 and a hollow annular head 22 defining a nutreceiving socket having the usual hexagonal inner surface 23 so that head 22 extends around and engages the outer surface of nut 2. According to the preferred embodiment, head 22 supports within the nut-receiving socket, coaxially therewith, via any number of arms 24, a cylindrical ring 25, the inside diameter of which is slightly greater than the diameter of stem 5 of bolt 3 and the outside diameter of which is limited so that ring 25 contacts only that portion of lock ring 12 which is inwardly of serrations 13.

In operation, the placing of wrench 20 over nut 2 automatically causes ring 25 to depress lock ring 12 against the pressure of spring-washer 15. Therefore, with wrench 20 in place, as shown in FIG. 6, nut 2 may be rotated to any new position. When the desired location of nut 2 is reached, wrench 20 is raised slightly, allowing serrations 13 on ring 12 to engage the bottom side of serrations 10 on nut 2. After wrench 20 is raised by an additional amount sufficient to insure disengagement between the bottom of ring 25 and the top of lock ring 12, wrench 20 may be rotated in either direction, by a slight amount, until serrations l0 and 13 snap into l060l0 Ol ll engagement. Wrench may then be completely removed and nut 2 and bolt 3 will be securely locked together.

It can, therefore, be seen that according to the present invention, there is provided a specialized wrench which is adapted for use with a lock nut assembly of the type in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut. With the present wrench, simply by placing the head. thereof in contact with the lock nut assembly, the lock ring is automatically depressed against the pressure of the spring. Therefore, with the present wrench in place, such nuts may be rotated to any new position. When the desired location of the nut is reached, the wrench is removed whereupon the lock ring automatically returns to its locked position.

While the invention has been described with respect to a preferred physical embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut, said wrench comprising:

a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive said nut and engage the outer surface thereof;

a generally cylindrical ring; and

means connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrench for rigidly supporting said ring within said nut-receiving socket, coaxially therewith, said ring being adapted to contact and force said lock ring axially into said recess in said nut.

2. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said supporting means comprises:

a plurality of arms connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrench.

3. A wrench according to claim 2 wherein said arms extend between one end of said ring and one end of said head portion, the other end of said ring terminating intermediate the ends of said head portion.

4. A wrench comprising:

a handle;

a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive a nut and engage the outer surface thereof, said head portion being connected to one end of said handle;

a generally cylindrical ring; and

means connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrench for rigidly supporting said ring within said nut-receiving socket, coaxially therewith.

5. A wrench according to claim 4 wherein said supporting means comprises:

a plurality of arms connected between said cylindrical ring and said head portion of said wrench.

6. A wrench according to claim 5 wherein said arms extend between one end of said ring and one end of said head portion, the other end of said ring terminating intermediate the end s ogsaig head portion.

Claims

1. A wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut, said wrench comprising: a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive said nut and engage the outer surface thereof; a generally cylindrical ring; and means connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrench for rigidly supporting said ring within said nutreceiving socket, coaxially therewith, said ring being adapted to contact and force said lock ring axially into said recess in said nut.

2. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said supporting means comprises: a plurality of arms connecTed between said ring and said head portion of said wrench.

4. A wrench comprising: a handle; a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive a nut and engage the outer surface thereof, said head portion being connected to one end of said handle; a generally cylindrical ring; and means connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrench for rigidly supporting said ring within said nut-receiving socket, coaxially therewith.

5. A wrench according to claim 4 wherein said supporting means comprises: a plurality of arms connected between said cylindrical ring and said head portion of said wrench.

6. A wrench according to claim 5 wherein said arms extend between one end of said ring and one end of said head portion, the other end of said ring terminating intermediate the ends of said head portion.