Who invented nut and bolt

Let us begin with the screw, a fastener that keeps the roof over our heads and the floor under our feet. It was further developed the Greek mathematician Archimedes to alter water levels. The water screw, first mentioned in Mechanica of Heron of Alexandria, was made from wood and aided farm irrigation and rid ships of bilge water. In , Jacques Besson, a French inventor, created the bolt and screw manufacturing machine.

Square-head bolts were common in early applications because they were easier to make with the tools, metals and techniques of the time. Square heads require less accurate tolerances, so that a wrench that might not be the exact size of a bolt but be near enough to turn a hand-machined square bolt head. Square heads, however are large and require more room to turn. By , British toolmaker Joseph Whitworth and his American counterpart, William Sellers of the Franklin Institute had proposed creating a system of standardized screw threads.

Standardized bolts and nuts soon followed as toolmakers developed new techniques for making them in quantity. Between and , British Metallurgist Sir Henry Bessemer developed the Bessemer process, a way to mass produce cheap mild steel.

When machinists used cast iron and cruder forms of steel, square bolt heads were easier to make. Jesse Ramsden in made the first satisfactory screw-cutting lathe. Using his lathes a long screw cut be cut from a carefully cut small original.

Precision screws allowed precision instruments to be made to allow the construction of steam engines and machines tools. By their use in surveying instruments they assisted in the construction and development of canals, roads and bridges.

Screw threads for fasteners were cut by hand but increasing demands deemed it necessary from them to be factory made. J and W Wyatt patented such a system in The lack of thread standardisation made fastener interchangeability problematical. A second reliability measure is pushout. A final test is pull-through. How deep a fastener needs to be threaded is directly related to its diameter. The bigger a fastener is, the deeper it will need to be in order to be strong.

Many studies have found that there is a simple rule of thumb for standard pitch fasteners. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More. Table of Contents. Can I get ATM before 18? Accept Decline Cookie Settings.