Nut & bolt locking system new to me. Your thoughts?

[jistre]

http://www.tinelok.com/WhitePapers/TinelokWP.pdf

I came across this in a trade magazine, and locking systems being what they are, with the multitude that simply don't work, I wanted to run this by you folks and see what you thought of this system. Pros and cons welcome here.

 

[MintJulep]

Interesting. The principle seems straight-forward.

My initial questions are:

1. How is the magic red thing secured to the nut? Are there any potential failure modes that would allow the MRT to spin free inside the nut?

2. What happens if you stop tightening when a tine is at the apex of a lobe, not at the valley?

3. Are they capable of being disassembled? Without damage? Are they reusable?

4. What happens if a nut is run down past the length of the lobes (the lobes don't seem to run full length of the bolt).

5. How expensive are they?

 

[jistre]

-I wondered about number 1 myself. If the MRT comes loose, then you've just got a regular nut.

-My gut tells me that if your torque target requires that you stop tightening in the apex of the lobe, then it'll lose preload until the tine falls into the previous valley. This means that on any tightening cycle, you'll have only discreet preloads available to you

-From what I've read, a tool is required to remove the nut. There is no special tool needed for installation. No clue on if they're reusable or not.

-Don't know about #4 or #5

To me it seems like an interesting idea, but I didn't see any technical resources or test documents, just their white paper and brochures. It's why I wanted to see you guys poke holes in the idea. So far, that whole "How does the MRT affix to the nut" seems to be the most important question.

On the other hand, the Navy is testing these things to replace other fastening systems used to affix the skirts to their hydroplanes, so they're getting some pretty intense real-world vibrational testing right there.

 

[jistre]

Hovercraft. I meant hovercraft. Geez, you'd think I haven't been speaking the language 30 years.

 

[IRstuff]

Looks like it was designed for a cylindrical removal tool that slides in, between the MRT and the bolt, which pushes the tines out of the way for removal. Or, they might sell you a special socket with the removal tool built-in:

For product inspection purposes a special nut removal tool is available

This document has some nicer pictures:

http://permanentech.com/Brochures/brochure_tinelok.pdf

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[StressCut]

Information on using of Tine-Lok Fasteners:
"Naval Hovercrafts Specify Improved Fasteners"
Newly developed system is described as vibration-proof, reduces downtime
Doug Smock, Contributing Editor -- Design News, November 3, 2008
Full address:

http://www.designnews.com/article/4...Improved_Fasteners.php?nid=2334&rid=616512654

Ilya Bardenshteyn, Independent Inventor