20110091302 | Reactive Fasteners - Reactive fasteners are described herein. The reactive fasteners are utilized in place of jam nuts and Belleville washers providing for the storage of a pre-load and effectively providing a locking function to prevent unintended loosening of an associated bolt. The reactive fasteners resiliently deform under load to store pre-load or live load energy. Further, the reactive fasteners provide a means for interfacing with a self-reacting tightening power tool which can eliminate or minimize the need for reaction arms. The resilient deformation of the biasing fasteners permits the live load to be stored therein and accordingly lessens the risk of loosening of the bolted joint due to exteriorly applied forces such as, but not limited, to vibration and thermal expansion and contraction. | 04-21-2011 |