What are Wave Springs? - IMechE

04 Aug.,2025

 

What are Wave Springs? - IMechE

What are Wave Springs?

  • Wave springs reduce spring height by 50%

    HEGONG SPRING Product Page

  • Same force and deflection as ordinary coil / compression springs

  • Wave springs fit tight radial and axial spaces

  • Over 4,000 standard springs in carbon and stainless steel (¼" to 16", 6 mm to 400 mm diameters)

  • No Tooling Charges™ on custom designs (.200" to 120", 5 mm to mm diameters)

  • Exotic alloys available

Simple 'wave' or 'spring' washers, as they are commonly known, are traditionally manufactured by die-stamping from annealed sheet metal and then hardened by an austempering process. They are formed using bespoke tooling in an irregular shape so that, when loaded, they act like a spring, deflecting and providing a pre-load between two surfaces. This characteristic can be used to pre-load shafts or bearings, absorb shock, or compensate for dimensional variations.

This type of wave washer has been used worldwide for almost a century and will continue to be in demand where non-critical control of load and space restriction is not an issue. However modern enhanced quality standards and the onward march towards a more compact and lighter end-product means that today’s designers are demanding ever increasing levels of load control and tighter space envelopes in which the springs must operate. Traditional die-stamped methods of manufacture cannot reliably offer these features, however, TFC's Smalley edge wound wave springs can provide the solution.

Manufactured from flattened round wire and edge coiled to exact specifications, Smalley Single Turn Wave Springs are made with either a GAP or OVERLAP end configuration. These two types of design permit radial expansion or growth in diameter within a cavity, without the binding or hang-up normally associated with die stamped wave washers. Just as their terms imply, the gap type is split to retain a gap between the ends; while the overlap type has overlapping ends. Thus, the ends are free to move circumferentially as the spring outside diameter grows during compression. Also, since they are cold-rolled and, unlike a die-stamped product that requires heat treatment after manufacture, a greater control of spring force is achieved.

Another significant advantage offered by the edge-coiling process is that there is no costly tooling involved therefore, bespoke designs can be produced, as quickly as a standard product, in economic prototype batches with a diameter range from 5mm to over mm. If necessary, the spring design can be altered, with minimal cost, to provide the exact specification without the need for any compromise on the part of the customer.

Variations on a Theme

Utilising the same edge-winding technique enables several innovative spring types to be available.

CREST-TO-CREST® WAVE SPRINGS

Crest-to-Crest® Wave Springs essentially pre-stack the springs in series, this decreases the spring rate proportionally to the number of turns. Uses are typically applications requiring low-medium spring rates and large deflections with low-medium forces.

Traditionally, when a low working height compression spring like this was required, it was necessary to physically assemble a series of single die stamped wave washers by welding or riveting at the wave peaks or by inserting a shim between individual springs to form a stack.

Since Smalley Crest-to-Crest® Wave Springs are manufactured with a single filament of wire, the spring is integrally formed and the wave peaks hold their configuration without the need for such costly and unreliable processes.

As a replacement for helical compression springs, Crest-to-Crest® springs can develop similar forces, yet occupy one-half or less the axial space. This allows for strict space constraints. Crest-to-Crest® Wave Springs will maintain the same force and load specifications of a conventional round wire spring, but with the advantages of lower operating heights, free heights and solid heights.

Crest-to-Crest® Wave Springs are also available with squared-shim ends. Shim ends provide a 360° contact surface when compared to the wave point contact of plain ends. The shim-ends under load, more evenly distribute the springs force upon adjacent components. This feature is similar to the concept of double-disc grinding springs for a flat surface. Shim ends have also been used to affix springs to mating components, as a flat locating surface that may be attached by various methods in the assembly.

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INTERLACED WAVE SPRINGS

An Interlaced Crest-to-Crest® Wave Spring is formed from two or three constituent wave springs of similar thickness, amplitude and frequency. The constituent wave springs are wound together to interlace them so that the turns of each spring align each other for the entire length of the interlaced spring. This interlacing effectively increases the thickness of each turn to provide increased loading whilst maintaining similar deflection characteristics.

NESTED WAVE SPRINGS

Nested Wave Springs are pre-stacked in parallel from one continuous filament of flat wire. The need to stack individual springs for higher loads is no longer necessary.

Nested springs result in a spring rate that increases proportionately to the number of turns. They can exert tremendous forces, yet maintain the precision of a circular-grain wave spring. In many applications, Nested Wave Springs replace Belleville Springs, particularly in cases where radial space is tight and accurate force is needed.

Conclusion

To summarise, TFC's Smalley flat wire wave spring technology offers significant technical and cost-saving advantages over conventional die-stamped and round wire coiling methods of manufacture.

  • No tooling required

  • Modification to design is immediate and requires no compromise from the customer

  • Greater control of specified loading at stated working heights

  • No heat treatment

  • Size range is almost infinite from 5mm to over mm

  • Wide range of material sections and material types

  • Short lead times

  • Single turn and multi turn types readily available to cater for a broad range of applications

    Contact TFC’s Smalley Product Engineers: +44 (0) or 

What details should be paid attention to when selecting the wave ...

波形弹簧选型设计应该注意哪些细节?

波形弹簧的选型设计是确保其在特定应用中高效、可靠运行的关键。选型时需要考虑多个因素,以确保波形弹簧能够满足工作环境和性能要求。以下是波形弹簧选型设计时应注意的主要细节:

1. 载荷要求(Load Requirements)

  • 预紧力:确定波形弹簧的预紧力,以确保其在工作过程中能够承受所需的负荷。
  • 最大载荷:根据实际应用确定波形弹簧的最大载荷能力,避免弹簧因过载而损坏或失效。
  • 工作载荷范围:选择合适的波形弹簧以适应不同的载荷变化,确保弹簧在整个工作过程中始终保持稳定的性能。

2. 工作空间限制(Space Constraints)

  • 轴向高度:波形弹簧的设计是为了节省空间,因此需要精确计算可用的轴向空间,确保波形弹簧在有限的空间内提供所需的力。
  • 外径与内径:根据安装空间选择合适的外径和内径,确保弹簧能够在组件中顺利安装并发挥作用。

3. 材料选择(Material Selection)

  • 负载与环境要求:根据应用场景的负载要求和环境条件(如温度、湿度、腐蚀性等)选择适合的材料。常见的材料包括不锈钢、碳钢、合金钢和特殊合金材料。
  • 耐腐蚀性:在腐蚀性较强的环境中,选用耐腐蚀材料(如304不锈钢、316不锈钢等)确保弹簧的长期使用。
  • 温度范围:在高温或低温环境下使用时,确保选材能够适应温度变化,避免弹簧性能下降或失效。

4. 弹簧刚度(Spring Rate)

  • 弹簧刚度是指单位位移所需的载荷大小。在选型时,应根据应用要求确定波形弹簧的刚度,确保其能够提供足够的弹力并且不会因刚度过高或过低而影响性能。

5. 安装与使用方式(Installation and Use Conditions)

  • 运动方式:波形弹簧可以用于静态和动态应用中,选型时需要确认其工作方式(如往复运动、静止支撑等),以确保其稳定性和耐用性。
  • 工作环境:如果波形弹簧处于振动或冲击环境中,选择能够承受这些动态负荷的弹簧类型。
  • 预负荷要求:根据应用中的要求,确定是否需要波形弹簧在装配时就施加一定的预负荷。

6. 波形类型与层数(Wave Type and Number of Turns)

  • 单层与多层波形:根据负载和位移要求选择单层或多层波形设计。单层波形弹簧适用于较低的载荷,而多层波形弹簧则能提供更大的载荷和更高的刚度。
  • 嵌套设计:如果需要更高的载荷能力和更小的安装空间,可以选择嵌套波形弹簧设计。

7. 耐疲劳性与使用寿命(Fatigue Resistance and Service Life)

  • 波形弹簧在动态负载下工作时,材料的耐疲劳性至关重要。选择具有良好疲劳寿命的材料和设计,确保波形弹簧能够承受长期的重复使用而不失效。

8. 表面处理与涂层(Surface Treatment and Coatings)

  • 表面处理:为提高波形弹簧的耐腐蚀性、耐磨性和润滑性,可以选择镀锌、黑色氧化、磷化等表面处理方式。
  • 涂层:在某些特殊环境中,如食品加工或医疗设备中使用的波形弹簧,可能需要使用符合食品级或医疗标准的涂层材料。

9. 环境与安全要求(Environmental and Safety Considerations)

  • 在选型时,要考虑到环境因素,如化学物质的暴露、温湿度变化等,这些因素会影响波形弹簧的性能和使用寿命。
  • 确保波形弹簧符合相应的安全标准和认证,特别是在对设备安全性要求高的行业,如航空航天、医疗和汽车行业。

10. 成本与经济性(Cost and Economical Feasibility)