nylock vs. lock washer...which is best?

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by Willie Makeit

Split washers, also known as lock washers, are useless as a locking feature. Don't believe me? Ask NASA: they do NOT allow split washers on anything. Period.

ALL fasteners are torqued to a given spec and then it's either a mechanical locking features such as a poly-loc nut, safety wire, or distorted nuts OR chemical thread locking compounds such as Loc-Tite. Oftentimes it's multiple features.

This applies to ALL fasteners.

NASA publication RP-1228, pp. 9-10

DoD, same way. I've worked on several spacecraft programs (MILSATCOM, Missile Defense, various civilian) and there are no lock washers to be found. If it didn't have a thread-locking compound, it was lock wired.

[71meangreenc10]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

DoD, same way. I've worked on several spacecraft programs (MILSATCOM, Missile Defense, various civilian) and there are no lock washers to be found. If it didn't have a thread-locking compound, it was lock wired.

Except for the Ground (Auto) Side.....Had Bins full of lock washers. Even had National Stock Numbers (NSNs) for a washer kit.

Smitty