The original post: /r/askscience by /u/disintegrationist on 2024-10-02 01:52:47.

I know vibration is a major issue in engineering, but I’m curious as to what 's going on on a microscopic level as things get loose, or how can a reciprocal motion make something that needs a circular motion to turn loose and go one way only. Why doesn’t vibration cause a bolt to tighten up too?