Unscrewable Washer!

In the 19th century, the number of railroad accidents in the United States plummeted. The reason for that was the increased speed and travel on the tracks. More travel equals more vibration and therefore washers that held the tracks together got loose. Special people were hired to tighten up these washers but the number of these workers did not correlate with the demand. Since railroad companies could not afford to hire a humongous number of railroad workers just for this purpose, they sought another solution, a better washer. The railroad companies launched a contest (with the prize being a large sum of money) in hopes of finding a reliable and most importantly cheap washer. All entries were of a complex construction that would require a humongous financial investment. The winner was a railroad worked named Grover who suggested placing between the regular washer and the rail a spring washer, which could be manufactured out of the regular type by cutting it in one place and bending the created ends one up and one down. The force of the spring pushing against the washer and the rail assures that the washer stays in place. Grover, a simple railroad worker, created a totally different kind of washer construction that is used worldwide today.

Grover’s washer is of a very simple construction. Can YOU improve it??

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