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Plate nuts are stamped from sheet metal and come in different materials, each with specific uses. Soft metals like copper and brass are good for electrical environments, while hard metals like stainless steel and carbon steel provide strength for high-stress connections. Lock plate nuts have a nylon insert to prevent vibration, and thread-locking compound can be used on standard plate nuts.
A plate nut is stamped from a piece of sheet metal and contains two mounting holes that accept two blind rivets to hold the nut in a piece of metal. Behind the faceplate is a cylindrical threaded tube that secures a threaded fastener to the workpiece with the faceplate nut installed. When a pad nut is installed into a workpiece, no tools are required to hold the back of the fasteners as an installer tightens a threaded fastener. The type of metal and installation environment will determine the type of metal plate nut required to provide a strong structural connection.
Stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, brass, and nickel plated are types of material used to make plate nuts. Each type of material has a specific use to ensure that the installed nut is compatible with the base material and to ensure that the installed nut does not fail due to corrosion, thermal stress or electrolysis between different types of metal. Knowing the limitations and uses for each type of metal plate nut is the first step for an installer to provide an adequate connection in a given base material.
The softer metals, copper and brass, don’t have the strength to hold high-stress connections, but their conductivity allows them to function in electrical environments such as grounding points for wiring harnesses and electrical connectors. Hard metals (stainless steel, nickel plated, and carbon steel) provide strength to connections in high-stress environments or connections that support excessive amounts of weight. Nickel plated and stainless steel plate nuts add corrosion resistance to higher strength to provide a strong connection in areas prone to moisture or areas with chemical fumes in the air. Another component added to a plate nut allows the installed nut to resist loosening when subjected to constant vibration and temperature changes.
Inside the threads of a lock plate nut is a nylon insert that expands when a bolt is tightened into the nut. The expanded nylon material prevents vibration from traveling through the plate nut and bolt threads. A designation for nylon material describes the maximum temperature that the lockplate nut can be subjected to without melting. As the nylon melts, it weakens and reduces the amount of vibration damping provided by the installed self-locking plate nut. Thread-locking compound can be applied to standard plate nuts to allow them to resist vibration when self-locking nuts are not available.
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