Fastening & Assembly Solutions & Technology July 2012

FAST JULY 2012
FASTTAILPIECE
A different slant on secure fastening
A few years ago Tappex developed
a bespoke, threaded fastening
solution for a Home Office
application used to secure lavatory
seats to their cisterns in
Prisons. Reportedly, there had
been occurrences of the traditional
fastening being undone and the
seat becoming a loose item useful
in the projection of inmates frustrations
when subsequently either
thrown at each other or prison
staff. The Tappex solution
involved a shear nut which left a
58
tamper-proof fastening for the
seats.
It has since been trademarked
Vandlguard and subsequent applications
have included the secure
retention of high value electronics
and telecoms equipment,
security barriers and fencing.
The product is machined from
a solid female threaded sleeve
consisting of an inverted cone
section blending into a hexagonal
nut-form. The installer runs the
Vandlguard along the length of a
Spring innovation
helps motorcycling veteran
Justin Rokohl is a US war veteran
who was injured while on
active service in Afghanistan.
Justin had a childhood dream that
one day he would own and ride a
motorcycle. Once his tour of duty
as a marine was completed, he
would have the funds to buy his
dream machine but then came the
rude awakening of the roadside
bomb incident which put paid to
his military career and effectively
ended his biking ambitions.
But not so because thanks to
an innovative product called
LegUp LandinGear designed and
supplied by motorcycle specialist
Chopper Design, Justin is still
able to enjoy motorcycling,
despite losing both his legs.
The landing gear was
designed to help disabled riders
or those with knee or hip problems,
to be able to support a
heavy motorcycle at slower
speeds. If the rider is unable to
balance the machine for himself,
a set of small wheels automatically
deploy as the cycle slows
down to speeds below 8MPH,
making riding safe even for those
with physical disabilities. LegUp
operates using torsion springs
(arrowed on picture) which were
specified when Lee Spring
Engineering worked on the
design in its development stages.
The project is described in a
video courtesy of Design World
Magazine, which can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LDpmO4ZguUo
LEE SPRING
0118 978 1800
male thread until the cone makes
contact with another surface. The
nut section is then used to continue
to build a clamping force but at
an approximate pre-determined
torque, the nut will shear leaving
the inverted cone section onto the
male thread. In practice it is
impossible to remove the cone by
hand or even with simple tools.
Cutting equipment or a strong
pipe wrench are the only way to
shift it.
TAPPEX 01789 206600
£100 CASH QUIZ!
Win a cheque for £100 from the publishers of FAST Magazine!
Submit your answers by faxing this completed entry to us on 0845 280 1587
or emailing them to quiz@fastmagazine.co.uk with your name, job title,
company name and contact number. A draw from all correctly answered
entries will be made in the FAST Magazine office on 1st September and the
winner notified by phone and email. The winner will also be announced in
the next issue of FAST Magazine, published in October 2012.
1. Which aero engine manufacturer made a name for its
sleeve valve engines in the 1930’s?
Pratt & Whitney Bristol Rolls-Royce
2. Where was legendary F1 figure Sir Frank Williams born?
Fakenham South Shields Dartford
3. Michael Rutter won a TT title in June this year at an
average speed of 104mph. What powered his machine?
Ethanol Petrol Electricity
4. Where was the world-famous clipper the
‘Cutty Sark’ made?
Tyneside Dumbarton Southampton
5. In 1891 future car maker Henry Ford took a job as an
engineer at which company?
Detroit Stamping Co Thomas & Ford Shipping Co
Edison Illuminating Co
6. Which distinguished fighter and test pilot left a legacy in
his name that still helps young people carve a career in
aviation today?
Roland Beamont John Cunningham Eric Brown
Last issue’s winner was Brian Gerrard, Engineering Manager, Lostock
Engineering. Congratulations Brian! The correct answers were:
1. Cheese was once made in what subsequently became the JCB factory.
2. Marie Curie was born in Poland. 3. Fairey made the aeroplane which
Peter Twiss piloted to a new world air speed record in 1956. 4. Professor
Sir Magdi Yacoub is a world famous heart surgeon. 5. Rudolf Diesel’s
engine was granted patent number 608,845 on 9th August 1898. 6. Andre
Citroen’s father was a diamond merchant.
Our thanks to the many readers who entered.