re: "I know racers and aviation don't trust lockwashers"
Neither did Carroll Smith. I think with aircraft the issue is that if for some
reason the fastener loosens with a lockwasher, it'll eventually come loose.
Safety wiring all but prevents that from happening. Also, the point of
properly
torquing a bolt is to apply the correct tension by stretching the bolt; if you
use a lockwasher that may not be possible (AFAIK, safety wiring is not meant to
keep tension on the fastener, just to keep parts from coming apart).
That said, I think lockwashers have their place. For instance, I began using
hardened flatwashers with locktite on aluminum parts, like the shock mounts (I
know, the shock bodies are a "dirty" Al/Zn compound). However, when I tried
that on the rear shock mounts the bolts would loosen without a lockwasher under
the nut.
Note that safety wiring is a skill; aircraft mechanics spend quite a bit of
time
learning how to do it properly (see: FAA AC43-13). I suspect most shadetree
mechanics aren't quite as well trained.
bs
Steve B. Gerow wrote:
> Richard Mayor wrote:
>
>> Belleville washers are not going to help keep shock bolts tight. Proper
>> tightening, using flat washers, will do the trick.
>
> With respect, when the bolts are torqued down, the belleville washers _are_
>flat washers. Though the wikipedia article
> doesn't talk about them much as lockwashers, they're used extensively in
>Alfas as lockwashers and that's why I started
> using them against aluminum surfaces in the Healey. None of my 3 Alfas ever
>used a split-ring lock washer on an
> aluminum surface, as Healeys do.
>
> FWIW - air cooled VWs use wave washers a lot on the engine - I wonder if they
>act differently from bellevilles.
>
> I know racers and aviation don't trust lockwashers - undoubtedly with good
>reason, but they seem to work pretty well
> on everyday cars.
>
>
*******************************************************************
Bob Spidell San Jose, CA bspidell@comcast.net
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