Wave Spring Tolerances and Loads

Welcome to our Smalley Product Blog, where our engineers answer commonly asked ring and spring design questions.

This week Simon Ward, Product Manager, fields some questions about small diameter wave springs and different uses for Smalley rings. He discusses applications for retaining rings, how they can be adapted to different uses, and when it might be better to select a more specialised product.

Over the course of more than 35 years, TFC has become a global leader in the design, specification and supply of Smalley retaining rings and wave springs. To achieve this we invest in our own in house technical team who use their engineering expertise to understand your needs and suggest the solution thats’s exactly right for you.

What is the tolerance on spring rate?

The spring rates (Load ÷ Deflection), as listed in the technical date on our website and within our catalogue, are reference values. Other characteristics on the spring, such as wire thickness, free height, and radial wall, can affect this value. The spring rates for our wave springs tend to have constant rates from approximately 20% to 80% deflection. As the spring approaches its Solid Height, the rate typically grows exponentially and is no longer linear. For this reason, we tolerance loads at specified work heights as this is a measurable and more accurate way of determining the functionality of our springs.

My application is designed with 5kg of preload on the spring but in application, the spring could see as much as 5-8 times the amount of calculated load. What does overloading do to springs?

The impact of overloading will vary based on the overall size of the spring, spring material, cycles, and the amount of load being applied. All of our standard springs are designed to meet a certain load at the listed work height. If you have an application where the spring will see a higher load than what is listed in our data, there is a possibility that the load will over-stress it and the spring may take a set. In this instant we recommend contacting TFC Engineering for a more in-depth understanding of the impact and implications of overloading in your specific case.

That’s all for this week. Check back next week to see what questions our experts will answer next!

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