Self-locking threaded fasteners

Patent · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:870255

Glovan, Ronald J ^[1]; Tierney, John C ^[1]; McLean, Leroy L ^[1]; Johnson, Lawrence L ^[1]

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1. Butte, MT

A threaded fastener with a shape memory alloy (SMA) coatings on its threads is disclosed. The fastener has special usefulness in high temperature applications where high reliability is important. The SMA coated fastener is threaded into or onto a mating threaded part at room temperature to produce a fastened object. The SMA coating is distorted during the assembly. At elevated temperatures the coating tries to recover its original shape and thereby exerts locking forces on the threads. When the fastened object is returned to room temperature the locking forces dissipate. Consequently the threaded fasteners can be readily disassembled at room temperature but remains securely fastened at high temperatures. A spray technique is disclosed as a particularly useful method of coating of threads of a fastener with a shape memory alloy.

• Research Organization: MSE INC
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-88ID12735
• Assignee: MSE, Inc. (Butte, MT)
• Patent Number(s): US 5484244
• OSTI ID: 870255
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

self-locking
threaded
fasteners
fastener
shape
memory
alloy
coatings
threads
disclosed
special
usefulness
temperature
applications
reliability
coated
mating
produce
fastened
coating
distorted
assembly
elevated
temperatures
tries
recover
original
exerts
locking
forces
returned
dissipate
consequently
readily
disassembled
remains
securely
spray
technique
particularly
useful
method
original shape
useful method
temperature applications
memory alloy
elevated temperatures
elevated temperature
particularly useful
shape memory
spray technique
temperature application
threaded fastener
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