Spiralock Takes the Shock, Heat, and Vibration of Oil Industry Drilling Equipment
From drill collars, cutting tools, and high pressure valves to down hole tooling for controls, measuring and monitoring, the tapped holes and fasteners holding vital equipment together must operate with virtual 100% reliability—because the cost of failure or unscheduled service when a million-dollar component is thousands of feet below ground or sea level can be astronomically high. To maximize safety and production uptime, fastened joints must stay secure with minimal maintenance, particularly in the well bore.
While many engineers gravitate toward lock wires, prevailing torque fasteners, or adhesives to prevent loosening, these may be less effective in oil rig applications or have higher total cost when maintenance and production issues are considered. As an effective alternative to traditional fastening methods, a unique internal thread form is helping the oil industry enhance reliability by combating shock, vibration, thread loosening, and extreme temperature even in hard-to-cut super alloy materials, while easing assembly, maintenance and inventory management.
Most locking fasteners do not address a basic design problem with the standard 60-degree thread form: that the gap between the crest of the male and female threads can lead to vibration-induced thread loosening. Stress concentration and fatigue risk at the first few engaged threads is also a problem. Temperature extremes can also expand or contract surfaces and materials, potentially compromising joint integrity.
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