If you are working in a construction or manufacturing industry, you must have come across the term “washer” and the number of types it is available in. They are the tiny pieces of hardware that help in doing big jobs. In this article, we are going to discuss washers, their types, and uses to help you get a more detailed view of them.
What is a washer?
Washers are tiny and thin plates of metal with a hole in the middle, mainly used in conjunction with threaded fasteners. They act as spacers and are placed between a surface and a screw to prevent corrosion and minimize the vibrations produced by a machine or equipment. The washers serve the purpose of a wide range of applications in a project, but to make your project go right, you must choose the right washer. There are different types of washers available in the market that serve the needs of different applications differently.
But before moving on to the types of washers, let’s discuss the purposes they serve.
- Load Distribution: The primary purpose of a washer is to evenly spread the load of a threaded fastener with which it is used. When a threaded fastener is driven into a material, it stresses the surface of the material. By using a washer in between, you can distribute the load evenly, protecting the surface from wear & tear. Washers reduce the risk of damage when a threaded fastener is driven into the material.
- Absorb Vibrations: There is a category of the washers which is specifically designed to absorb vibrations. Such washers are popularly known as vibration-isolating or vibration dampening washers. Unlike other washers, these washers are made of rubber, plastic, or urethane that are more effective in absorbing vibrations as compared to metal. If you are connecting two objects, from which one produces strong vibrations, you can protect the other from damage by using a vibration dampening washer.
- Spacing: Washers act as spacers between a screw and the surface. When you drive a threaded fastener into an object, to ensure that it doesn’t go deeper, you can use a washer. By placing a washer through the threaded fastener, you can create padding so that the fastener doesn’t go too deep into the object.
- Liquid Protection: There are washers that prevent the ingress of fluids. Such washers are mainly used in water pipelines to create a tight and leakage proof seal. The liquid-sealing washers are made from soft materials and can be pressed completely against the object’s surface.
These are the purpose that washers serve which makes them perfect to go hardware when it comes to meet construction and production projects’ requirements efficiently.
Types of Washers and their uses:
As per construction and applications, washers are mainly divided into three categories, which are as follows:
Plain Washer
These are the most common types of washers, which are also known as flat washers. They are used to spread the load to a relatively larger area and prevent damages to the surface in which they are screwed. It also helps in correcting the size difference, in case a hole becomes too big for a nut or a screw.
Here are the types of plain washers available in the industry:
- Type A Plain Washer: These are flat, disc-shaped washers with a hole in the middle. They distribute the load to a relatively larger area and are perfect to use with small head screws.
- Fender Washer: As their name suggests, fender washers are commonly used for car fenders. They are larger in size, with just a small hole in the middle. This is the reason why they are able to distribute the load to a larger area. These washers are mainly used in plumbing, automobile, and sheet metal fabrication industries.
- Shoulder Washer: Shoulder washers are named after their shape as they have a shoulder like structure. You can find these washers in different materials like nylon, phenolic, PCTFE, PTFE, fiber-glass, and metal. These washers are used to insulate wires, screws, and any other part of the assembly.
- Torque Washer: These washers are mainly used in woodworking applications. The washers have outer prongs with a square hole that do not allow the accompanying bolt to spin when a nut is being fastened.
- Finishing Washer: These washers are also known as countersunk washers owing to their ability to create a flush surface when secured with flat-head countersunk screws.
- C-Washer: These are the washers that can easily be adjusted, removed, or replaced without the need for removing the fastener.
Spring Washer
Spring washers are perfect for equipment that produces high vibration while functioning. They have axial flexibility owing to which they move with vibrations that prevent their loosening or unfastening. The washers boost the elasticity of the joint.
Below-mentioned is the types of spring washers:
- Belleville Washer: Also known as conical spring washers, they are used for keeping the assembly in tension under thermal expansion and contraction conditions. They have the ability to hold heavy loads with small deflection.
- Cresent Spring Washer: Curved or Crescent spring washers are used in applications where movement absorption is required. They are flat washers with a slight curve that make them ideal for applications that demand flexibility and endurance for heavy load.
- Finger Spring Washer: Finger spring washers are flat washers with three curved flanges that dampens noise and vibrations, along with protecting the surface from excess wear.
- Dome Spring Washer: The appearance of a dome washer is similar to the Belleville washer, and they are known for their high-load capacity with very little deflection. They create a flatter surface, along with absorbing high vibrations.
- Wave Spring Washer: Wave spring washers are generally used as spacers or cushions as are curved in two directions. They possess a moderate load-bearing capacity and protect the surface from excessive wear.
Lock Washer
Lock washers are a kind of spring washers that do not let the screws and nuts rotate in the loosening position and keep them intact when the machine or equipment functions are producing strong vibrations. They secure the fasteners in place that have a tendency to lose friction.
Here, we are mentioning the types of lock washers:
- External Tooth Lock Washer: These washers use teeth struct action to prevent the nut or screw head from getting loose. They work better with screws having a bigger head. They offer the maximum torsional resistance owing to the several teeth on its outer diameter that bites into the surface to provide excellent compression resistance.
- Internal Tooth Lock Washer: The internal tooth locker has several teeth on the inside diameter that don’t let the bolt or nut head from getting loosened. They lock shallow-head fasteners into place and are used for absorbing shock and vibrations.
- Helical or Split Lock Washer: Split lock washers, also known as helical washers, are used to hold fasteners in place. They are non-continuous rings bent slightly outward in the opposite directions. The bent is flattened when secured with a fastener, with both ends digging into the mating surface.
Gaskets
Gaskets are primarily used in the automobile industry to seal off oil and gas connections and prevent leakages. They are made from light metals like copper washers, aluminum washers, and others. The gaskets create a tight seal and not let gases and fluids to escape even under high pressure and temperature conditions.
Specialized Washers
- Top Hat Washers: These washers are mainly used in plumbing applications and are ideal to use when you are fixing a tap or installing a new one.
- Keps Nut: Also known as k-lock nuts, they are used with integrated washers to make spinning faster and easier. The nuts make the assembly more convenient to function.
- Insulating Shoulder Washer: These washers serve their best application in the electrical industry and are used for electrical isolation of mounting screws. They are generally made of plastic, peek, or nylon.
- Keyed Washers: These washers are used between nuts to prevent their spinning. The keyed washers are used mostly in the automobile industry and used between bolts that are fixed together.
These are different types of washers that can be availed in diverse sizes and other specifications to meet the requirements of diverse applications in different industrial sectors.
Wrapping up
Threaded fasteners’ performance is boosted significantly when they are combined with washers. Washers distribute the fasteners’ load to avoid damage to the mating surface when the machine or equipment is functioning with high pressure. Apart from this, they absorb vibrations and noise to ensure a safer work environment in different industries. These washers were not less than a boon at a time when the mechanical industry was all ready to create equipment that can change the face of the industrial sector.
As mentioned above, washers are available in different types with diverse specifications so that you can go for the ones that satisfy the needs of your applications in the perfect way possible. We hope that this article has helped you get a vast knowledge of different types of washers and their uses. If you have any questions, please mention the same in the comment section so that we can serve you with the best.
FAQs
What are washers and their uses? ›
Washers have two primary functions: to distribute the pressure of the nut or head of a fastener such as a bolt evenly over a surface without damage, and to ensure that the nut is pressed against a smooth surface to reduce the chances of loosening over time.
Are there different types of washers? ›Other metal washers include zinc, copper, brass and iron. Specialty washers include plastic washers, rubber washers, ceramic washers and phenolic washers. The three main types of washers are plain washers, spring washers and lock washers. Specialized washers exist within these categories that serve unique purposes.
What are the main washer types? ›- Plain washers.
- Spring washers.
- Locking washers.
Hardened Steel Washers
The types of washers covered here are: Type 1—washers made of carbon steel; and Type 3—washers made of weathering steel. Moreover, the styles of washers covered here are: circular washers, which are suitable for applications where sufficient space exists.
What are the different types of washing machines? The main washing machine types include front-load washing machines, top-load models with an agitator or impeller, stacked laundry centers, all-in-one combination washers and dryers, as well as compact or portable washing machines.
What are the five reasons why we use washers? ›- To Distribute Tensile Load. ...
- To Prevent Friction. ...
- Electrical Insulation. ...
- To Prevent Galvanic Corrosion. ...
- To Prevent Loosening. ...
- When NOT to use a washer: When your hole is too big for your fastener.
They are commonly used to distribute the load of a threaded fastener, like a bolt or cap screw. They can also be used as spacers — or in some cases — can be a wear pad, locking device, or even used to reduce vibration — like a rubber washer.
Where are washers used? ›A washer is a thin plate with a circular hole in the center. Washers are used to distribute the load of a threaded fastener, such as a bolt or nut. Before a screw or bolt is driven into a surface, a washer may be placed in order to prevent looseness and provide protection.
What are the different types of finishing washers? ›Finishing washers, also referred to as countersunk washers, provide a flush surface and are custom manufactured in several common styles including: 90 degree, angle, flanged, un-flanged and rolled flange.
What is the difference between Type A and Type B washers? ›Type A is a series of steel washers with broad tolerances, where precision is NOT critical. Type B is a series of flat washers with tighter tolerances where outside diameters are categorized as Narrow, Regular or Wide for specific bolt sizes.
What are the two main types of pressure washers? ›
Pressure washers are available in two main varieties: gas and electric. Gas and diesel models offer you the power and mobility to tackle heavy-duty jobs like removing paint and cleaning driveways and sidewalks.
Which washer has least problems? ›What brand of washing machine is most reliable? Whirlpool, LG, and Samsung are the most reliable brands of washers. Yale Appliance found that less than 7% of the sales of these units required servicing. J.D. Power also ranks Samsung and LG as the highest-ranking manufacturers in customer satisfaction.
Which washer style is best? ›Front load washers are generally more efficient, since they're designed to use less water even if they have slightly longer cycle times. Top load washers use more water even if their cycles can be faster than that of a front load washer.
What are flat washers used for? ›The main role of flat washers is to increase the size of a screw's bearing surface area, and reduce the surface pressure applied on the fastened object. Looseness can result when the bearing surface sinks under the surface pressure, so using a flat washer to reduce the surface pressure is very effective.
What is a M2 washer? ›This metric flat washer provides a larger circular bearing surface which helps prevent a nut or bolt head from pulling through the material. It is round with a hole in the center and can also be used as a spacer.
What are Grade 5 washers? ›Flat washers are positioned under the head of a bolt or nut in order to provide a smooth bearing surface and distribute the fastener load over a wider area. Hi-Line carries Flat Steel Washers, Grade 5 SAE with zinc plating in many sizes.
What is a Form B washer? ›Form B washers are a thinner version of form A which are the standard most commonly used flat washers for use in most applications. A flat washer's main task is to spread the load across a wider area, which comes in particularly useful when dealing with softer materials. Manufactured to BS 4320.
What are the different types of washes? ›- Normal Wash.
- Pigment Wash.
- Bleach Wash.
- Stone Wash.
- Acid Wash.
- Enzyme Wash.
- Sand Blasting.
- Super white Wash.
In garments industry, there are mainly two types of washing process for garments products. Those processes are wet washing process and dry washing process.
What is the difference between the two types of washing machine? ›In term of washing capacity, front-load machines outperform top loaders, since this type of washing machine does not have an agitator, which is a part of top loaders. This leaves more space for clothes, which means you need to do laundry much less often with front loaders.
Why use two washers? ›
Split washers are designed for use with bolts and nuts. You can run a bolt through a split washer, and you can then drive the bolt into an object. The split washer will help to distribute the load of the bolt more evenly.
Why older washers are better? ›Older machines are heavier and were built to last. Because they were constructed with greater quality materials, they typically have a much longer lifespan than the new washers built today.
What is a filter washer? ›Washing machine filters trap anything from lint to loose hairs and should be kept clean to keep your washing machine functioning properly.
What is an axle washer? ›Axle Washers (Also known as Axle Spacers, Speed Washers or Speed Rings) are small metal rings that you slide onto your truck axles to encapsulate the bearings between the hanger and axle nut. These are meant to create a smoother ride and help prolong bearing life.
Why use a pressure washer on a car? ›Use it to remove heavy soils
The best time to use a pressure washer is to remove heavy soils from your car after off-roading or driving through mud on a wet, rainy day. Your pressure washer will especially come in handy during the pre-rinse to clear loose dirt and soils from your wheels, tires and exterior panels.
wash·er ˈwȯ-shər. ˈwä- : a flat thin ring or a perforated plate used in joints or assemblies to ensure tightness, prevent leakage, or relieve friction. : one that washes. especially : washing machine.
Why are they called washers? ›The origin of the word 'washer', in this context, is not known but it has been used since the 14th century when it was spelled 'whasher' and defined as “an iron hoope, amongst gunners called a whasher, which seves to keepe the iron pin at the end of the axeltree from wearing the nave”.
How many washers are there? ›This is a singles and doubles event. The game field consists of two washer pits, each containing one recessed cup of 4 inches in diameter. The distance from the cup centers is 25 feet. Each player throws three washers toward the opposite cup.
What are the finishing methods? ›There are numerous possible processes to add/alter a part's surface, but among the most common are anodizing, dyeing, electroplating, electroless plating, plating, powder coating, and spraying.
What is the difference between flat and square spring washer? ›Plain washers are flat, whereas spring washers are curved. For most applications, plain washers are typically used. For machines and objects that vibrate, spring washers are recommended. Spring washers are unique because they provide an axial load that counters vibrations and, thus, prevents fasteners from loosening.
Do I need Grade 8 washers? ›
It is recommended that a Grade 8 Flat Washer be used with Grade 8 Nuts and Bolts. Grade 8 Washers do not crush and deform when torque is applied in tightening.
Are spring washers the same as lock washers? ›Locking Washers
A locking washer is a special type of washer that's used to prevent fastening or loosening, similar to the way in which a spring washer works. In fact, locking washers are essentially a sub-type of spring washers.
For regular maintenance and light household cleaning jobs, a light-duty pressure washer will do. These feature PSI ranging from 1500 to 1900 and would be enough to get rid of dirt and mild stains. This is the safest pressure washer PSI rating for all surfaces, but it isn't ideal for getting rid of tough stains.
What is the best PSI and GPM for pressure washer? ›The Bottom Line
If you're still wondering what the best combination is, we recommend starting with something in the 3000 – 3500 PSI/2.0 – 2.5 GPM range. These pressure washers are good for most homeowners, as they tend to work very efficiently and are still affordable.
While non-agitator machines will give you trusty clean, they are not as tough on dirt and grime and agitator washers are. If you frequently work outdoors or just get really dirty, a non-agitator machine may not give you the clean you are looking for.
Which is the cheapest and best washing machine? ›| Washing Machine | Price |
|---|---|
| DMR DMR 68-1000 6.8kg Single Tub Washer | ₹4,799 |
| Intex WM65 Turbo SPA 6.5 kg Semi Automatic Top Load Washer | ₹4,799 |
| Intex Turbo SPA - WM75ST 7.5 kg Semi Automatic Top Load Washer | ₹4,889 |
| Onida WS65WLPT1 6.5 Kg Washer Top Load Washing Machine | ₹4,890 |
Front-loaders clean more thoroughly and efficiently, using less water and electricity than top-loaders. Plus, front-loading washers remove more water at the end of the cycle. And if the units stack, they save space.
What type of washer is most reliable? ›- Best Overall: GE 5.0 Cu. Ft. Smart Front Load Washer. ...
- Best Value: Whirlpool 3.9 Cu. Ft. Top Load Washer. ...
- Best Luxury: LG 5.0 Cu. Ft. Mega Capacity Smart Wi-Fi Enabled Front Load Washer. ...
- Best Top Load: Whirlpool 4.3 Cu. Ft. ...
- Best Top Load with Agitator: Maytag 4.7 Cu. Ft. ...
- Best Front Load: Samsung 4.5 Cu. Ft.
Front load washers are considered superior at cleaning clothes with less water and less wear on your fabrics. Top load washers clean faster and are slightly more ergonomic, so it may come down to the monetary value.
Are top load or front load washers more reliable? ›Best for Reliability: Front-Load Washer
Although top-load washers last longer than front-load washers on average, a front-load will likely need repairs less often over the course of its life. The repair costs typically will be higher, though, due to the many optional wash cycles and extra features.
What are spring washers used for? ›
Spring Washer Purpose
Spring washers play an integral role in assembly applications to eliminate rattle, maintain assembly tension, absorb shock loads, and provide controlled reaction for dynamic loads.
A wedge washer is engineered with the same wedge-locking design as a standard washer, but with a beveled washer design that enlarges the outer diameter of the washer.
What is a bushing washer? ›The Bushing Washers are round metal washers that fit under skateboard bushings on each truck. The purpose of bushing washers is to secure the bushing in the trucks and prevent the silent block from getting deformed by the pressure exerted on the trucks.
Which is better washer with agitator or without? ›While non-agitator machines will give you trusty clean, they are not as tough on dirt and grime and agitator washers are. If you frequently work outdoors or just get really dirty, a non-agitator machine may not give you the clean you are looking for.
What is washer type A vs B? ›Type A is a series of steel washers with broad tolerances, where precision is NOT critical. Type B is a series of flat washers with tighter tolerances where outside diameters are categorized as Narrow, Regular or Wide for specific bolt sizes.
What is the difference between USS and SAE washers? ›So what's the difference that distinguishes SAE vs. USS flat washers? Since SAE flat washers were created by the Society of Automotive Engineers to fulfill broad requirements within the automotive industry, they have a smaller outer diameter and thinner gauges than USS versions.
What is the difference between a washer with an agitator and not? ›Washing machines with agitators use a central post that twists back and forth, rubbing against clothes to help break apart stains. In contrast, washing machines with impellers use a low-profile cone or disc that spins/rotates to rub clothes against each other to get them clean.
When should you not use agitator? ›Delicate items are better washed in a non agitator machine since this will give you less wear and tear on clothes. Mainly you'll be looking at those few things: capacity, what cleans better, and what is more gentle on clothes.
What size washer will wash a king-size comforter? ›Comforters: Instead of lugging your king-size comforter to a laundromat, you can wash it in any washer with a claimed capacity of at least 4.5 cubic feet, according to our tests.
How do I choose a washer mode? ›- Cold Water: Best for dark colors and delicate fabrics. ...
- Warm Water: Best for synthetic, permanent press fabrics. ...
- Hot Water: Best for white cotton fabrics that are worn or used close to the body like underwear, socks, and bedsheets.
What are Form G washers? ›
Form G washers are the heaviest duty flat round washers available as standard. They are much thicker than regular washers with a much bigger outside diameter. Available in sizes M5 to M30 in zinc plated and stainless steel.
What is Class D washer? ›Household washing machines should come with an energy label indicating their energy efficiency on a scale from A+++ (most efficient) to D (least efficient).
What does SAE mean in washers? ›SAE Washers are produced to comply with Society of Automotive Engineers specifications. They are of smaller O.D. and thinner gauges than their counterpart bolt sizes of U.S. Standard Washers. All sizes are carried in stock plain and zinc-plated.
What is a CW washer? ›HWA indicates that the unit has steam function (H), the color is white (W) and that the unit is compatible with a pedestal (A). CW represents the color is white.
Do top load washers without agitators work? ›A top-loader's twisting wash motion (with or without an agitator) isn't as effective as a front-loader's tumbling wash. Just make sure to get a high-efficiency model. They clean better than agitator-style models, using much less water and energy, and are gentler on clothes.
Do top load washers clean better? ›Top load washers clean faster and are slightly more ergonomic, so it may come down to the monetary value. Front load machines cost more to purchase and maintain, but they provide better cleaning performance than top load washers.
Which lasts longer agitator or impeller? ›Longer Wash Time: A top load washer with an impeller generally takes longer to complete a wash cycle than a machine with an agitator, due to the high-speed spin cycles.