Wave Washers Selection Guide: Types, Features, Applications

Wave washers, also referred to as wave springs, are wavy metal washers designed to provide a compensating spring force or absorb shock when under load. Many design variations have evolved to best serve these basic functions.

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Wave washers are one of several types of spring washers. They are defined by their wave-like appearance and their ability to bear a load as they are deflected in a linear range.

Types of Wave Springs

Product ：Medium and Small mulit-turn Wave Springs
Material： SUS631/17-7PH

Product ：Mulit-turn Wave Springs
Structure form：Mulit-turn（Peak to Peak）wave springs
Material： SUS631/17-7PH

Product ：Mulit-turn Wave Springs
Structure form：Mulit-turn（Peak to Peak）wave springs with shim ends
Material： SUS631/17-7PH

Product ：Tiny Mulit-turn Wave Springs
Material： SUS631/17-7PH

Product ：Various Mulit-turn Wave Springs
Material： SUS631/17-7PH, SUS304, SUS316 available

6 Advantages of a Wave Spring

1. REDUCE AXIAL SPACE

Spring operating height can be reduced by up to 50%.

In applications with tight space constraints, Crest-to-Crest wave springs optimize space concerns. The ‘multiple waves per turn’ design can offer the same spring force as a traditional coil spring, but at a reduced operating height. A reduction in operating height also decreases the spring cavity, yielding an overall smaller assembly size. Significant cost savings may be seen with a smaller, more light-weight assembly, as it takes less time and material to produce.

2.DESIGN FLEXIBILITY

We can customize wave springs to fit your exact application requirements. The number of turns, end type, material type, and thickness are just a few parameters we can customize.
Our ability to accommodate virtually any design comes from our unique edgewinding process, where we take flat wire and then coil it on edge. With the freedom to coil to nearly any diameter (0.157 – 120 in.; 4 - mm), we can efficiently optimize your design, all without the need for additional tooling.

3. ACCURATE AND PREDICTABLE LOADS WHERE YOU NEED IT

Accurate and predictable loads are achieved by putting a tolerance on load(s) at specific working height(s).

Whether it’s a static or a dynamic application, you’re able to pinpoint the load that a wave spring outputs. This is because we tolerance critical load(s) at specified working height(s), so you can expect reliable, consistent performance in your application.

4. VERSATILITY

Wave spring technology is the trusted solution across many different industries and applications.

From small to large diameters, light to heavy-duty parts, carbon steel to exotic materials, wave springs has been the trusted solution for tens of thousands of applications. From everyday consumer products like the smartwatch on your wrist, or the coffee maker in your kitchen, to an oil well deep under the Earth’s surface, to as high as, well, Mars, there is virtually no limit for wave springs. Below are some examples of common applications that utilize the benefits of a wave spring. 

Flow Valves: As fluid pressure increases, a Crest-to-Crest Wave Spring precisely controls the linear displacement of the piston.

Pressure Relief Valves: Air pressure under the assembly causes the spring load to increase, which forces the plate away from the sealing surface and provides a pressure relief mechanism. As pressure decreases, the spring returns to its original work height, allowing the unit to seal again.

Face Seals: The wave spring applies pressure to precisely load against a mating surface, properly sealing fluids.

Vibration Isolators: Under constant loading, the isolator dampens vibration from equipment operation. Wave springs are used to provide precise and predictable loading.

5. EXOTIC ALLOYS

Exotic alloys are an option for your applications in extreme environments.

There are a variety of key factors when it comes to choosing the right material for your application, including environment, budget, and cycle life. Using a material that is not optimized for the environment that it’s in can lead to performance issues and decreased application life. We offer a variety of custom materials.
From cryogenic to high temperatures, magnetically-sensitive to electrically conductive, deep-sea to outer space, our engineering team will tailor a wave spring fit for optimal performance.

6. FREE SAMPLES & ECONOMICAL PROTOTYPES

We know it’s important to ensure fit and function with prototype testing, so we offer free samples of our standards.

We also offer custom, economical prototypes that can be delivered to you in a short lead time with no minimum order quantity. This is a unique benefit of our edgewinding process, as traditional stamped parts have high up-front tooling costs, minimum order quantities, and traditionally longer lead times.
 

Other applications of wave washers

Wave washers, also referred to as wave spring washers, are some of the best load-bearing washers available. They are tiny metal discs with holes in the middle, similar to small doughnuts in appearance. These components are not flat, but have a wavelike look as their name suggests. They are designed to absorb stress when beneath a load, and their three-point contact area and curved design makes them ideal for the task. There are a number of different ways they are used.

Shock Absorbers

Wave washers can be built as shock absorbers to function like compression springs. If you are dealing with space limitations, they can be particularly effective.

Compensators

Wave washers can also assist in compensating for discrepancies in the operational capabilities of different mechanical devices. They can aid in preventing unwanted movement or vibrations if there are misalignments. If you are using bolts or screws, they can help stop any loss of friction that may cause the pieces to become unattached and fall out.

Improve Functionality of Ball Bearings

These parts can also be used to prolong the life of ball bearings and improve their performance. They help by lowering bearing noise and getting rid of any vibrations that might otherwise impact how the bearings function.

Selection Criteria

In order to pick the correct component, you need to know the required outside and inside ring diameters. The outside diameters define the circumferences of wave spring washers, and the inside diameters are set by the size of the bolt or cylinder they must encompass. Two other important criteria are the thickness and overall height of the pieces. They come in several different materials; steel is a good choice and particularly durable. A well-equipped construction supply store should have a wide range of them available in many different sizes.

Wave washers are versatile components that can be used for a variety of applications including shock absorbers, compensators and improving the functionality of ball bearings. 

• Wave springs reduce spring height by 50%

• Same force and deflection as ordinary coil / compression springs

• Wave springs fit tight radial and axial spaces

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• 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.

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