Disc Springs, also known as Belleville disc springs, Belleville springs, Belleville washers or conical washers, are specialised precision components designed for axial loading. Unlike other types of springs, Disc Springs have consistent and repeatable force/deflection curves that can be reliably determined using the standardised calculations of DIN EN (formerly DIN ). They can withstand static loads continuously or intermittently, as well as dynamic continuous load cycling. Multiple Disc Springs can be used in parallel, series, or a combination to achieve the desired force-deflection characteristic.
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Disc springs are perfect for high load situations, particularly when there is limited space available. These conical springs consist of a convex disc with the outer edge working against the centre of the disc, resulting in a strong spring force within a compact range of motion. This unique design allows for higher loads to be supported with minimal deflection and a smaller solid height compared to traditional helical springs. Due to their versatility, disc springs are widely utilised in various manufacturing and industrial settings. They have many common applications, such as:
In critical applications such as safety valves, elevator clutch and brake mechanisms, and industrial pipe system supports, Disc Springs are the preferred choice due to their predictability, reliability, and unmatched fatigue life.
When axial loading is necessary for your application, disc springs offer the ideal solution. Our discs can be designed as either single or stacked, depending on the specific requirements of our customers.
At SpingXpert, we have a wide selection of disc springs available for immediate shipment, including over 500 unique designs from our extensive inventory. If you require a custom disc spring, our team can design and produce it to your exact specifications, whether you need a small or large quantity.
Our spring and Belleville products are essential components in a wide range of sensitive applications within the oil services industry. These include safety valves, compression valves, chemical processing valves, completion tools, artificial lift pumps, oil well packers, drilling tools, and down-hole communications equipment.
Disc Springs have several advantages over other types of springs, such as:
Austenitic stainless steel is a popular choice for applications with minimal movement and exposure to corrosion. On the other hand, nickel stainless steel has proven its durability in fresh water and marine environments, as well as various industrial settings such as acidic conditions. However, it should be noted that this material may experience work hardening over time, limiting its cycle life but maintaining good resistance to creep.
Disc springs are available in a range of sizes and materials. These include stainless steel, phosphor bronze, carbon steel, and chrome vanadium steel. At SpringXpert, we provide extensive capabilities and a diverse selection of options for your disc spring manufacturing requirements, such as advanced quality control systems and expertise in regulations like RoHS, REACH, and DFARS. We also offer CAD-assisted product design, in-house prototype production services, and a global supply chain network.
We have EN (DIN ), Din disc springs, Belleville washers, serrated safety washers and slotted disc springs in stock. Our material selection includes 51CrV4, CS70 and CK67. Stainless Steel 300 Series Din 1., Din 1. and Din 1. our stock disc springs and Belleville washers come in imperial and metric sizes to fit various applications and bolt sizes.
Choose from our wide range of standard options or utilise our Engineering design service to collaboratively determine the best Disc Spring or Disc Spring Stack for your application and assembly requirements.
The potential combinations of disc springs depend on function and desired force.
Having springs working in tandem is always a challenge, but not when it comes to disc springs.
This type of spring is designed to work together, and the potential combinations for disc springs depend entirely upon the project.
It is extremely important to ensure accuracy in stacking the disc springs. You can do it using either the inside diameter or the outside diameter.
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When you stack disc springs, the spring constant, force and travel are changed, depending on the combination.
Single disc springs are assembled ‘opposed to each other’ to form a spring column. This ‘in series’ formation (no.3 in above illustration) is a means of multiplying the deflection of a single disc spring, the force element remains as that for a single spring.
E.G. A disc spring that requires a force of N to deflect 1mm, when assembled to form a column of 10 disc springs in series, will require a force of N to deflect 10mm.
The cumulative effect of bearing point friction of large numbers of disc springs stacked in series, can result in the disc springs at each end of the stack deflecting more than those in the centre. In extreme cases this may result in over-compression and premature failure of the end springs. A ‘rule of thumb’ is that the length of the stacked disc springs should not exceed a length approximately equal to 3 times the outside diameter of the disc spring.
Normally, disc springs stacked in ‘series’ formation are of identical dimensions, however, it is feasible to stack numbers of disc springs of increasing thickness in order to achieve ‘stepped’ and progressive characteristics. With such arrangements, it is necessary to provide some form of compression limiting device for the ‘lighter’ disc springs, to avoid over-compression whilst the ‘heavier’ springs are still in process of deflection.
Disc Spring Stacks
Disc springs are assembled ‘nested’ inside each other, i.e. the same way up, the resultant force for such a column is the force element of a single disc spring multiplied by the number of ‘nested’ disc springs in the column, whilst the deflection remains the same as for that applicable to a single disc spring.
(See no. 2 above illustration) It must be realised that the individual disc springs in a column assembled in parallel perform as separate entities, thus generating considerable interface friction. For a given deflection, this interface friction will result in 3% increased force per interface, this must be taken into account when calculating the total force from parallel stacking.
E.G. A disc spring that requires a force of N to deflect 1mm, when assembled of 3 disc springs in parallel, will require a force of N to deflect 1mm.
It is advised that the number of disc springs in parallel should not normally exceed 3, or in extreme cases 5 springs, to minimise heat generated by friction or, in the case of static applications, to ensure a workable relationship between the loading and unloading characteristics. The hysteresis resulting from parallel stacking can be employed to advantage in those applications of a ‘shock absorbing’ nature, requiring a damping feature.
The life of disc springs in parallel arrangements is very dependant on adequate lubrication of the spring interfaces.
The combination of both series and parallel stacking (See no. 4 above illustration) is a means of multiplying both force and deflection. The guidelines applicable to this type of arrangement are basically those already outlined, but it cannot be over-emphasised that it is important, at the disc spring selection stage, to minimise the number of springs in the stack by way of examining the various alternatives.
E.G. A disc spring that requires a force of N to deflect 1mm, when assembled to form a column consisting of 3 disc springs in parallel, and 10 units of 3 parallel discs in series – (total 30 discs), will result in a force requirement of N to deflect the stack 10mm – (incorporating an allowance of +6% for friction).
In series-parallel stacking, there must never be a difference in the number of disc springs per bundle. If a bundle has 1 disc spring less than the other bundles, this bundle will naturally not have the same strength, and will therefore become deformed and broken before the other bundles.