Prevailing-torque locknuts

Claim 1

A PREVAILING-TORQUE LOCKNUT COMPRISING A HEXAGONAL NUT BODY PORTION HAVING SIX SMOOTH FLATS OF EQUAL SHAPE, SIZE AND DIMENSIONS; A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BOTTOM SURFACE; AN UPPER END PORTION OPPOSITE SAID NUT BOTTOM OF TRUNCATED CONE SHAPE; AND A CENTRAL AXIALLY EXTENDING THREADED BORE THROUGH SAID TRUNCATED CONE AND BODY PORTIONS, SAID TRUNCATED CONE PORTION HAVING AN ANNULAR TOP SURFACE OF SUBSTANTIAL RADIAL WIDTH SURROUNDING SAID BORE AT ITS UPPERMOST END AND THE INCLINED CONICAL SURFACE OF SAID TRUNCATED CONE EXTENDING FROM SAID ANNULAR SURFACE AND TERMINATING AT ITS LOWER END WITHIN THE PERIMETER OF THE HEXAGON FORMED BY SAID SIX FLATS AT THEIR UPPER ENDS SO THAT THERE IS A WALL OF SUBSTANTIAL RADIAL THICKNESS AROUND SAID BORE WHICH IS PROGRESSIVELY GREATER IN RADIAL THICKNESS FROM SAID ANNULAR TOP SURFACE TO SAID BODY PORTION; A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY, EQUALLY SPACED DEPRESSIONS OF LIKE SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS AROUND SAID BORE IN THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID TRUNCATED CONE PORTION, EACH OF SAID DEPRESSIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID BORE THROUGH THE OUTSIDE INCLINED SURFACE OF SAID TRUNCATED CONE PORTION, THE CENTER LINES THROUGH THE BOTTOMS OF SAID DEPRESSIONS LYING RADIALLY AND EACH OF SAID BOTTOMS LYING AT THE SAME DEPTH FROM THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID TRUNCATED CONE AS THE OTHERS AND EACH BOTTOM OF SAID DEPRESSIONS LYING IN A PLANE AT AN ANGLE WITH THE SAID BOTTOM OF THE NUT EQUAL TO THE HELIX ANGLE OF THE THREAD OF THE BORE AND LYING PARALLEL WITH THE HELIX OF SAID THREAD AND THE SIDES OF EACH OF SAID DEPRESSIONS LYING IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL PLANES SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE NUT AND EQUIDISTANT FROM THE SAID CENTER LINE OF THE BOTTOM OF EACH DEPRESSION; A CLUSTER OF AXIALLY DEPRESSED OFFSET ARCUATE THREAD SEGMENTS IN THE UPPER TURNS OF THE THREAD OF SAID NUT BELOW EACH OF THE BOTTOMS OF SAID DEPRESSIONS, EACH OF SAID CLUSTERS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED OFFSET ARCUATE THREAD SEGMENTS FREE FROM BLUNTED CRESTS, EACH CLUSTER HAVING AN ARCUATE LENGTH AT LEAST 20% OF AND LESS THAN 80% OF THE DIAMETER OF SAID BORE, THE THREAD OF SAID NUT BEING CONVENTIONAL AND UNDISTORTED EXCEPT FOR SAID ARCUATE OFFSET SEGMENTS AND SAID ARCUATE OFFSET SEGMENTS LYING AT THE SAME HELIX ANGLE AS THE HELIX ANGLE OF SAID THREAD AND THE OFFSET THREAD SEGMENTS IN THE UPPER TURN OF SAID THREAD BEING VERTICALLY OFFSET FROM THE UNDISTORTED PARTS OF SAID THREAD A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT BUT LESS THAN HALF THE PITCH OF SAID THREAD.