Our whole life revolves around these simple tools we call fasteners. Be it fixing simple water taps at home or constructing buildings, nuts, bolts and washers are always needed to make our life easier. However, one should always look around for the best quality fasteners to ensure durability and permanence.
What Are Nuts?
A nut is a type of fastener with a threaded hole. Nuts are almost always used in conjunction with a mating bolt to fasten multiple parts together. The two partners are kept together by a combination of their threads friction, a slight stretching of the bolt, and compression of the parts to be held together. A nut with a bolt or screw is used to fasten machines and structural components.
Types Of Nuts
There are a variety of nuts used in industrial settings. The most popular ones are;
Cap Nuts
A cap nut protects bolt threads underneath it, whilst providing a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing appearance and improving safety on some applications.
Castle Nuts
These types of nuts are used with cotter pins contributing to its strength and strong grip. Also known as a slotted nut, this nut is used in low torque applications such as holding a wheel bearing in place.
Coupling Nuts
It is used as a threaded fastener which aids in joining two male threads. Since it’s external shape is hexagonal, it can be wrench driven.
Flange Serrated Nuts
These types of nuts have a wide flange at one end which acts as a washer to prevent it from moving or spinning. It channels the pressure of the nut over the part. This, as a result, leaves a locking impression to prevent the nut from becoming loose.
What Is A bolt?
Bolts are fasteners that are installed with the help of a nut or pre-tapped hole. They are closely related to screws. Bolts can be assembled or disassembled very easily. Due to their fast use and performance, they are used more than any other type of mechanical fastener and have a dominant use in steel structures and mass-produced articles.
Types Of Bolts
Just like nuts, there are several different types of bolts.
Carriage Bolts
Carriage bolts are domed shaped at the head. The square section located under the dome shaped bolt, prevents the bolt from moving when the nut is tightened.
Hex Head Bolts
As the name suggests, these hex head bolts are driven with a wrench. They have their own sub categories such as hex tap bolts, trim head hex cap screws, hex cap screws, etc.
Machine Screws
This screw has a flat point. These types of bolts are driven into tapped holes and are used with nuts and washers.
What Is A washer?
This category of fastening tools has a variety of applications. The following types of washers are the most basic ones;
Spring Washers
Spring washers are also called disc washers. They maintain assembly resistance, bring about smooth expansion and contraction of the tool, absorb shocks and stay strong under dynamic loads.
Lock Washers
They are specifically designed for fasteners which are bound to get misplaced or rotate. In some cases, they are used along with flat washers to distribute the load equally on the surface.
C-Washers
C-Washers have the ability to produce minimum friction between surfaces to ensure smooth performance of the tool. It works as a lubricant between two different surfaces in contact.
Get In Touch
Leyton Fasteners have been supplying industrial fasteners; nuts, bolts, washers and fixings for nearly 40 years, equipping customers across the UK and abroad. All our fasteners have established provenance (vital in industrial applications) something our commercial customers demand.
Drop us an email at sales@leytonfasteners.co.uk outlining your requirements and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, call us now on 0151 355 8045. We are based in Cheshire and deliver fasteners right across the UK and beyond.
