Fastening objects to hanging Unistrut
This is a question for an engineer/metal worker/?
If I fastened something heavy to the front edge of a hanging piece of Unistrut (a U shaped piece of metal used in applications such as supporting electrical conduit and pipes) by drilling through both legs of the U and putting a bolt through and cranking on it until the U starts to get pinched closed, (without using a block of wood or metal ferrule as a spacer) will the tension produced act as a lock washer, and keep the nut from working loose? If I used a lock washer? Didn’t have any Nylon insert nuts.
I fastened a 12 ft long AV screen that weighs about 80 lbs, 10 feet in the air on some Unistrut that was holding up light fixtures.
I’m worried that (since it is a live load) that the vibration produced by raising and lowering the screen will eventually cause it to fall and land on a student or professor.
Thanks for your help!
Jennifer
Replies
It could loosen. Any of the other solutions you mentioned would work -- a spacer in between, or nuts with a locking insert -- or double nutting with standard nuts. I would not leave it as is; not guaranteed to fail, but possible.
You could also put one nut inside and one nut outside the Unistrut and tighten them against each other (with the wall of the strut between).
If I understand correctly, your device is tight against the lower edge of the Strut and your nut is on top and you've tightened enough to deform the strut. If this deforms the top surface to an angle, then the hex edges of the nut will settle parallel to the deflection and cannot go further.
In any case, over an audience, use a safety chain or wire.
~Peter
You could peen them. Just deform the threads next to the nut with a punch or other hard point.
Loctite, glue, or adhesive on the threads would work also.
kk