Enhanced fatigue nut

An assembly for increasing a fatigue life of a threaded mating component by reducing a limiting stress on the threads of the mating component, comprising:

• an enhanced fatigue nut that has an exterior, the fatigue nut adapted for mating with the threaded mating component, comprising
• (i) a threaded cylindrical interior, the interior having a bottom,
• (ii) a flanged mating end, into which the threaded mating component can be inserted, that includes an annular surface, that defines an annular groove, the annular surface having a first portion that extends upward from the bottom of the interior to a top of the groove and a second portion that extends downward from the top towards the exterior and below the bottom the first and second portions being angled with respect to an axial centerline disposed through a center of the enhanced fatigue nut,
• (iii) the flanged mating end having an angled portion which is angled with respect to a first line that is perpendicular with the axial centerline disposed through the center of the enhanced fatigue nut, and that is angled with respect to the second portion of the annular surface;
• the mating component inserted into the flanged mating end of the enhanced fatigue nut and threaded to the threaded cylindrical interior of the enhanced fatigue nut, the angled portion of the flanged mating end and the groove causing the threads of the enhanced fatigue nut to deflect when the enhanced fatigue nut is mated with the mating component and thereby causing the limiting stress on the threads of the mating component to be reduced and increasing the fatigue life of the mating component;
• and
• a mechanical component compressed between the flanged mating end of the enhanced fatigue nut and a joint.

A method of mechanically connecting, comprising:

• providing an enhanced fatigue nut that comprises a body, a threaded interior that has a bottom, an exterior and a flanged mating end for insertion of a threaded mating component, the flanged mating end comprising (i) an annular surface that defines an annular groove, the annular surface having a first portion that extends upward from the bottom to a top of the groove and a second portion that extends downward from the top towards the exterior and below the bottom the first and second portions being angled with respect to an axial centerline through the threaded cylindrical interior, and (ii) an angled flanged surface that extends from the second portion to the exterior, the angled flanged surface being disposed in an angular relationship with the second portion and in an angular relationship with a line that is perpendicular to a centerline through the threaded cylindrical interior, the groove and the angled flanged end causing the threads of the enhanced fatigue nut to deflect when the enhanced fatigue nut is mated with the mating component and thereby causing the limiting stress on the threads of the mating component to be reduced and increasing the fatigue life of the mating component;
• contacting the angled flanged surface of the flanged mating end with a first mechanical component so that a gap is created between the flanged mating end and the first mechanical component;
• and
• mating the threads of the mating component with the threads of the enhanced fatigue nut and thereby deflecting the enhanced fatigue nut into the gap and distributing a stress on the threads of the second mechanical component to reduce the limiting stress on the threads of the second mechanical component.