Nuts and bolts were originally hand-crafted together, so that each nut matched its own bolt, but they were not interchangeable. This made it virtually impossible to replace lost or damaged fixers, as they were all different. Joseph Whitworth in 1841 proposed that a standard should be set, but it did not happen immediately.
In 1851, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was to be held in Hyde Park, London, England, and it was decided to build the Crystal Palace as part; this had to be done in 190 days, and at reasonable cost. Research into the remains of the destroyed building in 2024 revealed a major innovation that made this possible. The construction firm responsible, Fox Henderson, decided to use nuts and bolts, but to use standardised sizes, a revolutionary method at the time. This enabled the building to be completed in time. The use of interchangeable nuts and bolts was so successful that the Whitworth standard was widely adopted. A British standard was not formally adopted until 1905.2
There is a wide variety of nuts, from household hardware versions to specialized industry-specific designs that are engineered to meet various technical standards. Fasteners used in automotive, engineering, and industrial applications usually need to be tightened to a specific torque setting, using a torque wrench. Nuts are graded with strength ratings compatible with their respective bolts; for example, an ISO property class 10 nut will be able to support the bolt proof strength load of an ISO property class 10.9 bolt without stripping.
Main article: Locknut
Many specialised types of nut exist to resist loosening of bolted joints, either by providing a prevailing torque against the male fastener or by gripping against the bolted components. These are generally referred to as locknuts.
Note that flat (spanner or wrench) sizes differ between industry standards. For example, wrench sizes of fastener used in Japanese built cars comply with JIS automotive standard.
Hex nuts, recognized by their six-sided shape, and square nuts, with a square form, are commonly used. Steel nuts are strong and great for construction, while stainless steel ones resist rust, perfect for outdoor use. Brass nuts, corrosion-resistant, find their place in electrical and plumbing work. Lock nuts, like nylon-insert or prevailing torque types, prevent loosening due to vibration or torque, catering to specific needs across industries.
The manufacturing process of nuts involves several steps. It begins with the selection of raw materials like steel, stainless steel, or brass, depending on the desired type of nut. The chosen material undergoes heating to make it more malleable, followed by forming or forging processes to create the basic shape of the nut. Threads are then cut or formed onto the nut using specialized machinery. After threading, nuts may undergo additional treatments such as heat treatment or surface finishing to enhance their strength, durability, or appearance. Quality control checks are performed throughout the manufacturing process to ensure that the nuts meet industry standards and specifications.
Gong, Hao; Liu, Jianhua; Feng, Huihua (2022-02-01). "Review on anti-loosening methods for threaded fasteners". Chinese Journal of Aeronautics. 35 (2): 47–61. doi:10.1016/j.cja.2020.12.038. ISSN 1000-9361. S2CID 234300791. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cja.2020.12.038 ↩
Ferguson, Donna (16 September 2024). "Solved: the mystery of how Victorians built Crystal Palace in just 190 days". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/sep/16/solved-the-mystery-of-how-victorians-built-crystal-palace-in-just-190-days ↩
"A reliable locking performance using a two nut design". Fastener + Fixing Technology. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2022-03-15. https://www.fastfixtechnology.com/automotive/a-reliable-locking-performance-using-a-two-nut-design/ ↩
fastenerdata.co.uk, archived from the original on 2018-07-10, retrieved 2019-03-08. https://www.fastenerdata.co.uk/fasteners/nuts/prevailing-torque/binx.html ↩
Bickford & Nassar 1998, p. 153. - Bickford, John H.; Nassar, Sayed (1998), Handbook of bolts and bolted joints, CRC Press, ISBN 978-0-8247-9977-9 https://books.google.com/books?id=NaZwZK2xm-QC ↩