Quick Win: Nord-Lock Washers for Secure Bolted Joints
- Kerin Epperly, CLSSMBB
- Oct 11
- 1 min read
Quick Win #9: Low Cost, High Return, Easy to Implement
Small change. Massive savings.
Here’s a one-day reliability win that can secure your equipment and prevent looseness.
Pain Point: Loose fasteners are a silent reliability killer.
Vibration, thermal cycling, and uneven loading cause bolts to lose preload over time.
Traditional methods: lock washers, nylon nuts, thread-locking compounds often fail under dynamic loads.
The result? Loose joints, misalignment, gasket leaks, fretting wear, and catastrophic disassembly during operation.
Even a single bolt backing off can destroy an entire assembly or cause safety-critical failure.
Solution: Install Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers to secure bolted joints against vibration and dynamic load loosening.
Each pair of washers has cam faces on one side and serrations on the other.
When the bolt attempts to rotate loose, the cam angle (α) is greater than the thread pitch angle (β), forcing the bolt tighter instead of looser.
Serrations grip both mating surfaces, preventing slip or rotation.
The result is true mechanical locking through tension, not friction.
When to use:
Rotating equipment (couplings, pulleys, fans)
Structural mounts (motors, gearboxes)
High-vibration applications (pumps, conveyors, compressors)
Impact:
Prevents self-loosening under vibration and shock
Maintains joint preload even after repeated thermal cycles
Reduces re-torque inspections by 70–90%
Typical ROI: <2 weeks per critical assembly
Enhances both safety and uptime
A $25 washer can save a $30,000 failure. That’s reliability by design: pure mechanical intelligence in a tiny steel wedge.
Want more low-cost reliability wins? Follow #MasterReliability for weekly quick wins that drive uptime and cut costs.
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