|
In mechanical engineering a cotter is a pin or wedge passing through a hole to fix parts tightly together. Typical applications are in fixing a crank to its crankshaft, as in a bicycle, or a piston rod to a crosshead, as in a steam engine. A cotter, particularly one with a circular cross-section, may be referred to as a cotter pin, but this is confusing. A cotter pin (or split-pin) is so named for its use in retaining a cotter. A cotter is intended to take considerable shear loads, while a cotter pin is not, having to be soft enough to allow it to secured by being bent. A wedge-shaped steel pin is used to mount cottered bicycle crank arms, though this is outdated technology that has generally been replaced by better interfaces such as the square taper and splined interfaces. (more about crank attachment technology). These cotters have a short threaded section at the narrower end of the taper, which is used to hold the cotter in place with a washer and nut.
|
Arkansas, USA
