1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to locking fasteners, and more particularly to a locking nut assembly for use on a shaft for retaining a rotating or a rotatable member.
2. Background
Locking nut assemblies are employed generally to provide a more secure means of retaining a variety of mechanical parts commonly in situations where such parts are subject to rotation, vibration or other mechanical forces. Generally speaking, the greater the forces applied against a part retained, the more advantageous it is or becomes to retain the part employing a locking nut assembly. A locking nut assembly typically includes a threaded nut together with a means for limiting rotation of the nut along a thread once the nut has been tightened to a selected torque. A locking nut assembly may be used to secure a rotatable member on a shaft, spindle, axle or other member. A lock nut assembly may also be used for retaining a rotatable member including a wheel assembly on a shaft. The wheel assembly may include a bearing and/or a seal both mountable on the shaft within a race.
A combination including a castle nut and a cotter pin has been widely used in applications of these sorts, however in certain applications a greater degree of security and a lower incidence of failure may be desired. A variety of alternate solutions have been suggested in the prior art yet each of these have their limitations and shortcomings. Devices disclosed in the prior art tend towards elaborate designs and hence are presumably expensive to manufacture. The devices typically include more parts than the locking nut assembly of the present invention or require parts extraneous to the locking nut assembly to achieve the primary objective of the assembly, securing the nut from rotation and therefore, the associated part or parts on a shaft.
It is therefore a general objective of the present invention to provide an improved locking nut assembly which is suitable for retaining a rotatable member on a shaft or spindle. Additionally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a system for mounting a rotatable member including a wheel assembly on a shaft, the system including an improved locking nut assembly.