Ask the Expert - Wave Spring Tolerance and Load

Over the course of more than 100 years, Smalley has been the industry leader and technological pioneer of retaining rings and constant section rings. And for more than 50 years, Smalley has been revolutionizing the industry with compact wave springs.

We got to where we are today without a single salesperson. So how did we do it? With a dedicated team of Sales Engineers.

Sales Engineers are different from salespeople in that a Sales Engineer is an engineer first. A salesperson might try to steer you toward the most expensive option, regardless of your needs. A Sales Engineer, on the other hand, will use their technical expertise to understand your needs and suggest the solution that's exactly right for you.

We decided to make that expert knowledge available directly to you in our Ask the Expert series. This week, the expert fields some questions about the load and tolerances of wave springs.

What is the Tolerance On Spring Rate? 

The spring rates (load ÷ deflection), as listed in the catalog, are reference values. Other characteristics of 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 12 lbs. of preload on the spring but during shipment, 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 varies based on the overall size of the spring, spring material, number of cycles, and the amount of load applied. All of our standard springs are designed to meet a load requirement at the listed work height. If you have an application where the spring will see a higher load than what is listed in the catalog, there is a possibility that the spring will become overstressed and take a set. Entering your design into the Design a Custom Wave Spring tool can help you understand this concept a little better. However, we recommend contacting Smalley 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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