Bolted connections and impact on machine reliability

As part of the WoodTECH 2019 series run by the Forest Industry Engineering Association, sawmillers throughout New Zealand and Australia were treated to some hands-on practical troubleshooting and mill maintenance sessions. One of these was given by the well-known sawmilling guru, Joe Shields from USNR. The presentation was titled “Primary Breakdown Machine Alignment and Maintenance Techniques to Improve Reliability”.

During the workshop, Joe outlined a number of tips based on numerous mill visits and installations to improve machine alignment. To ensure bolted connections within machine centres are tight, he recommended eliminating split lock washers and using Nord-Lock Wedge Style washers). Nord-Lock created the original wedge-locking technology that secures bolted joints, even when exposed to severe vibration and dynamic loads. This sounds like a very simple thing, and it is. Doing this can significantly improve mill reliability.

Check out this video used as part of Joe’s presentation. It’s the Junker vibration test. According to DIN 65151, it is considered the most severe vibration test for bolted connections. In this video, the performance of Nord-Lock washers are compared to other locking methods. The video graphically explains it all.