Ball Lock™ Washers
ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A BACKUP WRENCH DURING TIGHTENING OR LOOSENING OF FASTENERS.
Our Ball Lock™ Washer is unlike any other washer you have ever used before. This patented technology, is a unique system, which dramatically improves assembly time and eliminates the safety hazards associated with back up wrenches.
The Ball Lock™ Washer is a hardened washer, which employs the use of hardened steel ball bearings that embed and grip into the flange face and nut bearing surfaces. This mechanical lock begins to occur during the hand tightening stage and is maintained throughout the tightening process.
• Ball Lock™ Washers are for thru-hole applications
only and installed on the end opposite the torque wrench.
• Application bearing surfaces must be under 40HRC. The
Ball Lock™ Washers work on the principle of embedment. If
hard joint surfaces are used or the joint is subject to
high-tension bolting the ball lock washers may be ineffective.
• If desired, Ball Lock™ Washers may be used in conjunction with
hardened round washers to prevent marring or embedment
into flange surfaces.
HOW IT WORKS
• Three ball bearings are installed at the load bearing region of the washer.
• Upon tightening, the hardened (60 HRC0 ball-bearings embed into both the mating joint surface and the bearing surface of the fastener.
• Ball embedment will result in a positive-ball lock between the two components preventing rotation of the fastener during initial torque tightening and again during the break-out
THE RESULT
The use of back up wrenches accounts for a significant amount of lost time accidents in any industrial bolted joint setting. Pinched and severed fingers are commonly associated with tightening or loosening of a bolted joint. When the hydraulic or pneumatic turning method overcomes the strength or balance of the operator who holds the back-up wrench, the operators’ safety can be compromised. From a reliability standpoint, it is often the case that there is not ample clearance on the backside of the flange to install a back-up wrench.
In these cases, the operator typically turns the front nut until enough friction is naturally generated to hold the nut and tighten the fastener. This scenario does not give a high level of assurance that the fastener stress has been created in the joint and can often lead to joint failure and leakage. If a situation exists where the operator cannot access the backside of a flange because of clearance issues, the Ball Lock™ Washer technology allows the operator to safely and efficiently generate the fastener stress by locking the back nut.
