Wave Springs

Wave Springs are designed to replace conventional round wire Compression Springs in applications requiring a tight load deflection specification in a space critical environment. Lee Spring offers both a stock wave spring series and custom wave springs design to meet your exact specifications. The Lee Spring REDUX&#; Wave Series is the stock lineup of wave springs available for immediate delivery. In addition to the stock range, Lee Spring can manufacture custom wave springs.

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Typically, wave springs occupy a very small area relative to the amount of work they can perform. Wave springs can reduce the size and weight of the assembly by as much as 50%. In fact, depending on the design parameters, they can occupy 30-50% of the compressed height space of comparable round wire springs offering more deflection with the same load specifications. This not only provides for space savings, but also smaller assemblies that use less materials, hence lower production costs.

Wave Spring Design Information

A wave spring is essentially a compression spring made of coiled flat wire with waves added along the coils to give it a spring effect. Wave springs are manufactured with either a plain end design, commonly known as wavy ends; or squared-flat end design, also known as a shim end.

Applications

Wave springs are found in a wide variety of applications where structural considerations restrict the installation height, where uniform force distribution is needed and/or uniform rotational pressure is required over 360°. Wave springs are suitable for both static and slightly dynamic load applications, however, fatigue is a critical consideration when designing a wave spring for dynamic load applications. For higher life cycles a stronger wave spring is needed. Special solutions must be found for extremely dynamic applications, since considerable stress on the side wave curves can cause material abrasion at the contact point. Typical applications include connectors, clutches, valves, pumps, seals, medical equipment etc.

Wave Spring Materials

Lee Spring&#;s REDUX&#; Wave Springs are manufactured from a single filament of Type 17-7 Stainless Steel flat wire formed in continuous precise coils with uniform diameters and waves. For custom designs, there are many material and finish options. For high temperature and corrosive environments, careful material selection is required. You can consult with a Lee Spring engineer for technical information.

Stock Wave Springs

Lee Spring offers stock wave springs in both imperial and metric sizes - search for stock wave springs.

• Imperial diameters available from .250&#; (6.35 mm) to 1.75&#; (44.45 mm) to meet load requirements from 2 lbs (8.9 N) to 90 lbs (400.3 N)
• Metric diameters available from 6 mm (.236 in) to 45 mm (1.772 in) to meet load requirements from 6 N (1.35 lbs) to 400 N (89.9 lbs)

REDUX&#; Wave Springs Specifications

Material: Stainless Steel Type 17-7 PH
Wire: Single strand of pre-tempered flat wire
Temperature: Maximum 650&#; F (340&#; C)
Finish: Passivated
Coils: Continuous Coil
Design: Uniform diameter and wave heights

Custom Wave Springs

Custom wave springs can be manufactured with a wide range of material, finish and size options to meet your exact design specifications. You may work with a Lee Spring Engineer to assist with the design and technical details for using a custom wave spring in your application. Lee Spring offers custom springs in both small and long run quantities. Request a custom wave spring quote today.

Helpful Wave Spring Tips

Avoid operating beyond the listed Nominal Load and Working Height, or the stresses may cause permanent spring set or failure.

Solid Height information is provided for reference only. Operating to solid will cause extreme overstress regardless of the actual load or size of a wave spring design.

Solid Height information is provided for reference only. Operating to solid will cause extreme overstress regardless of the actual load or size of a wave spring design.

Make sure to install the REDUX&#; Wave Spring with the correct Hole and Rod sizes. The listed Hole Diameter and Rod Diameter are properly matched with the spring to insure clearance fit. The spring&#;s Outside Diameter and Inside Diameter are approximate only.

 

While finding the best possible design solution can be challenging, knowing what options are available can make it easier for you.

One option Smalley provides is a wave spring.

A wave spring, a type of compression spring, is a solution that optimizes space concerns while providing form, fit, and function.

So what is a wave spring?

Let&#;s start by defining what a spring is. Most people have used or at least have heard of springs. They&#;re virtually everywhere, from the bed you wake up on, to the gas pump you use to fuel your car, to as far as the rovers on Mars. If you unscrew your pen, you&#;ll find a spring in there to push the plunger and the ink tip up and down as you click.

There are three main types of springs &#; compression, extension, and torsion. The type we&#;ll focus on today is a compression spring.

Invented by Smalley more than 100 years ago, a wave spring is a type of compression spring made of flat wire with a unique 'multiple waves per turn' design. This innovative design is why a wave spring can offer the same spring force as a traditional round wire coil spring but at 50% of its operating height.

How does a wave spring work?

Similar to a traditional coil spring, a wave spring starts at free height. Free height is the natural height of the spring with no load applied, denoted as H in the image below. Work height, denoted as WH, is a height the spring is compressed to at a specified load. As the wave spring is compressed, a load is output until a working height is reached. At the spring&#;s work height, the specified load is achieved.

This concept is displayed by the force-deflection curve below. Let&#;s say you have two load requirements for your application, 20 and 28 lb. The first load is output at a work height of 0.08 in., as indicated by the leftmost blue &#;x&#; on the curve. The 28 lb. load requirement is output at a work height of 0.06 in.

Now let&#;s take a part number out of our catalog for a Crest-to-Crest Wave Spring, C100-M1. The spring has a free height of .250 in. and a work height of .087 in. At this designated work height, the Crest-to-Crest Wave Spring outputs a load of 18 lb. Beyond this work height, the spring may take a set, making the spring forces unpredictable. 

Are you interested in learning more about wavesprings? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Read more about wave spring work height and compression. 

How is a wave spring made?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what a wave spring is and how it works, we&#;ll go over our manufacturing process. Edgewinding, our No-Tooling-Cost&#; manufacturing process, is the only process we trust to deliver precise yet flexible solutions to meet your wave spring needs. 

The process begins by cold working round wire to flat dimensions. Cold rolling causes the metal grains to elongate and lock together, improving the strength and stability of the material.

After cold rolling, the flat wire is then coiled on edge to form the Crest-to-Crest wave structure. 

Since the grain follows the direction of the coil, it provides better spring properties than if the shape were to be stamped and the grain only went in one &#;direction. The circular-grain metallurgy is formed during this process, which gives our parts better spring properties.

Edgewinding is a flexible and economical process, allowing us to customize designs with no tooling dies and nearly no material waste. What this means for you is that we can easily incorporate design changes during any stage of the process. It is both quick and economical for you, whether it&#;s a prototype or a production run.

 

Are there different types of wave springs?

There are 5 main types of wave springs &#; Crest-to-Crest, Overlap- & Gap-Type Single-Turn, Nested Spirawave®, Wavo®, and Linear. While all wave springs are based on a &#;wave&#; type design, they all have distinct features that determine spring performance under load.

The use-case is described in the table below.

Table 1. Types of Wave Springs. Wave Spring Types and their relative use-case. 

What materials can you use for a wave spring?

Selecting the right material is critical for optimal spring performance. There are several factors to consider during spring material selection, such as operating environment, cycle life, and budget.

Standard Smalley Wave Springs are available in carbon steel and 17-7 stainless steel. Smalley stocks over 40 additional material options, including exotic alloys such as Inconel X-750® and Elgiloy®, to withstand practically any environment.

Table 2. Comparison of Materials to Environment. Materials and their designated environments.

Where is a wave spring used?

From small to large diameters, light to heavy-duty loads, carbon steel to exotic materials, wave springs have been the trusted, space-saving solution for tens of thousands of applications. From everyday consumer products such as the smartwatch on your wrist to life-saving medical devices such as robotic surgical instruments to extreme environments like oil wells deep under the Earth's surface, to as high as Mars, there is virtually no limit for wave springs.

One common application that utilizes the benefits of a wave spring is a flow valve. While many spring systems can be designed into valves, engineers often choose wave springs because of their space-saving capability and linear compression behavior through 80% of the compression range. These unique features allow for more precise and repeatable control of both flow and pressure.

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

Get Started

• Ready to see the wave spring advantage? Request FREE SAMPLES from over 4,000 wave springs stocked in carbon and stainless steel
• Not sure which part is right for you? Live Chat us during normal business hours or schedule a Visit with a Smalley Engineer to determine the right wave spring for your application. 

Interested in learning more about wave springs?
Check out our new E-Book below.

 

 

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