Analysis of Wedge Lock Washer using the Finite Element Method

Abstract

Washers with a so-called wedge-locking effect are available for the engineering industry. The manufacturer assures, as confirmed by the Junker vibration test, that the tension in the thread increases when the screw is unscrewed. This is due to the appropriate geometry of the washers, which always work together in pairs. On the outside, the washers have serrations which, when tightening the screw, cut into the material of the clamped part, leaving a permanent plastic deformation. On the inside they have wedges, the angle of which is greater than the angle of the helix of the thread. The subject of this work is a study of creating a simulation model that takes into account the discussed effect of wedge lock of the washers. This model will be used in the future for simulation tests of washers with a different geometry than the one proposed by the manufacturer.