Tried explaining to my 4 year old the purpose of the lockwasher and she asked how it worked? I came to the realization I didn’t know. Help my educate my child by educating me please!
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Spring type lock washers work by giving the bolt a bit of extra range to loosen before you lose holding force. The actual force that holds it in place comes from the bolt stretching slightly and the plain washer or material surface compressing slightly.
So with a regular flat washer you can break it loose with only a few degrees of rotation. With a lock washer the washer springs outward as the bolt loosens and maintains pressure. So it takes more turning range loosen the bolt. That makes the bolt more resistant to vibration/deformation.
Toothed lock washers on the other hand actually bite into the bolt and material surfaces a bit when tightened. These make a bit of a mechanical lock instead of just relying on friction.
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