A wave spring, also known as coiled wave spring or scrowave spring, is a spring made up of pre-hardened flat wire in a process called on-edge coiling (also known as edge-winding). During this process, waves are added to give it a spring effect.Rotorclip: AdvantagesSmalley Steel Ring Company. (2005). Engineering and Parts Catalog. p.7 The number of turns and waves can be easily adjusted to accommodate stronger force or meet specific requirements.
Advantages A wave spring has advantages over a traditional coiled spring or a washer:Rotor Clip Company., Inc. (2010). Product Specifications. p. 12. Axial space can be reduced by up to 50%. As a result, the overall size of the assembly becomes smaller, reducing weight and production cost. The load in an axial direction is 100% transferable. One multi-turn wave spring replaces multiple stacked wave washers. This eases installation and reduces maintenance times. A wave spring can accommodate higher thrust load within the axial space as only the wire size, number of waves, wave height and number of turns need to be adjusted to accommodate higher thrust loads.
Varieties There are several types of wave spring:Smalley Steel Ring Company.(2005). Engineering and Parts Catalog. p.14 Single-turn wave springs include gap single-turn and overlap single-turn type. Multi-turn wave spring types, include shim-end and plain-end types. The nested wave spring incorporates smaller waves within larger ones.
Single-turn wave spring Single-turn springs are best for applications with short deflection and low to medium forces. The number of waves and material thickness can be changed to accommodate stronger forces. They are used for bearing pre-load.Rotor Clip Company., Inc. (2010). Company Overview. p.11Preload
Multi-turn wave spring A multi-turn wave spring can decrease the needed axial space. It is suited for applications with large deflection and a small spring rate. A wide range of forces can be accommodated.Rotor Clip Company., Inc. (2012). Wave Springs. p.2Matumura-Kohki Co., Ltd. (2009).Catalog. p.20
Nested wave spring Eliminates the need to stack springs to accommodate higher loads. It produces high force while maintaining the precision of a circular-grain wave spring. It replaces a stack of belleville washers where a high but accurate force is needed.
Linear Wave Springs a type of continuous wave-formed wire length produced from spring-tempered materials. They exhibit similar load/deflection characteristics to wave springs and can act as a load-bearing device.Lispring Company., Inc. (2024). Wave Spring.linear wave springs
Pitched Coil Springs also known as a Wave Spring or a Zigzag Spring, is a type of spring that consists of a series of connected loops or waves formed in a zigzag pattern.Pitched Coil Spring
Interlaced wave spring a type of spring that is formed by combining two constituent wave springs of similar thickness, amplitude, and frequency.Lispring Company., Inc. (2024). Wave Spring.Interlaced wave spring
Materials Carbon steel (standard) Stainless steel (best suited for high stress, fatigue applications) Beryllium copper (corrosion resistance, particularly in marine environments)Rotor Clip Company., Inc. (2010). Product Specifications. p. 10 - 11. Inconel (best suited for high temperature and corrosive environments)Smalley Steel Ring Company.(2005). Engineering and Parts Catalog. p.84Rotor Clip Company., Inc. (2012). Wave Springs. p.2. Elgiloy (corrosion resistance, particularly in marine environments)
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