Unless you are a mechanical engineer, you might not realize there’s a lot of nuances to something even as simple as a nut and bolt. How many threads do you need to engage? Do lock washers work?

Typically, we’ll throw a simple helical spring lock washer on a stud or bolt, torque down the nut nice and snug, and call it a day, feeling like we’ve made a secure joint. But nothing could ...

Toothed nuts or nuts that have built-in toothed washers that engage and lock against the bearing surface. Some nuts may also cause a wedging action against the bolt threads. Special-thread nuts ...