[TowerTalk] SS Nuts and Bolts

[Pete Smith]

At 03:28 AM 2/19/98 EST, K7LXC@aol.com wrote:
>
>     Sounds like they were stainless steel and the threads galled during
>installation. They're okay until you want to remove them - then they
break. In
>the future, put a little bit of anti-seize on the threads (that's why they
>make it). Even some anti-oxidant from your toolbox will work too.

I had a frightening experience with anti-seize compound (molybdenum
disulphide) a few years ago ... don't know if it's relevant, but perhaps
smart folks out there can tell me.

My daughter had a 1972 VW bug, which had bolts threaded into the brake
drums holding the wheels on, instead of the usual stud-and-nut situation.
After a few heat cycles from the brakes, these bolts became very hard to
remove, and I was concerned what she would do if she ever had a flat, so I
put a little of the MbS2 compound on the threads.  Seemed to work fine, as
far as removeability, but a couple of weeks later, she was driving over a
railroad track, and one of her front wheels came off! All the bolts were
gone, and I surmised that the anti-seize compound reduced the thread
friction so much that the bolts just vibrated out over time.

Now to the question -- I worry about galling stainless hardware, too, but
I'd be even more concerned about wind vibration eventually shaking
something loose.  Do split-ring lock washers provide adequate locking force
to prevent that happening, or are we talking PAL nuts here, or star
washers, or what.  What IS good engineering practice? 


73,

Pete N4ZR

In Wild Wonderful, fairly rare WEST Virginia

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