When And How Should Washers Be Used?

Washers are a critical element of fastener use. However, there are many people who don’t understand how to use them properly. For this reason, they usually end up having a hard time getting the most out of their fasteners. In some cases, the use of the washers is critical to such an extent that not using them could lead to a reduced lifespan of the product being put together. Failure of using them could therefore result in long term destruction of the product you are putting together.

When to use the washers

There are many scenarios where a product such as aluminum flat washers can be used. One of these is when the bolt and nut assembly you are using for fastening a product is not tight enough. In such cases, you can use the washer as a way to increase the distance between the aluminum hex nut and the item you are putting together. This then gives you more leverage in terms of how tight you can make the whole assembly, which means that it will hold better.
In addition to that, you can also use washers when you want to make the fastening more water proof. For instance, if you are anticipating leakage through the space between the product and the fastener, you can use a washer to seal it. However, this will only work if you use a high quality washer, and if you also use it correctly. In many cases, you will need to get some help from a vendor to get ideas on which types of washer to use for this.

 

The best way to use them

If you have decided to use washers when fastening a product, you should first make sure that it’s of the right thickness. This often depends on what you want the washer to do. For instance, if you want to make sure that the assembly is as tight as possible, you could use a washer that is thick. In some cases, it may be necessary to use more than one to achieve this.
You may also find it necessary to apply some grease on the washer. This serves multiple purposes including reducing the risk of corrosion as well as making it easier to put the fastener in place. In addition to that, putting some grease on the washer will also make it more watertight, which is important if you are interested in using it to reduce leakage.
Measuring the correct washer size is also critical. Using one that is too small or too big is likely to result in less than perfect results. For instance, if you want to reduce leakage and use a very big washer, this could result in even more leakage as the space between the fastener and the washer will be large.
In summary, if you are interested in getting the most out of your fasteners, you should always consider the benefits of using washers. They might seem unimportant, but in many cases they turn out to be critical in application.