Belleville Spring Washers
Belleville washers, also called Cupped Spring Washers, Conical Washers, or Belleville Disc Springs, have a conical shell and are shaped like a washer but with added height. Their unique shape allows them to support heavy loads with comparatively minor deflections. They are also used to replace springs in specific applications. Washers and disc springs are used in multiple use cases. Some examples are valve actuator assemblies, fail-safe breaking, and consumer power tools.
Belleville washers consist primarily of a convex disc supported at the outer periphery by one force and an opposing force on the center of the disc, whereas other styles of disc springs can be flat, waved, or curved and may include slotting, serrated insets, or other configurations, depending on their recommended use. Belleville washers, in particular, can be used singly, or in stacks, to achieve a desired load and travel.
The advantage of a disc spring is that it generates high force in a very short spring length and with minimal movement when compressed. All our disc springs are subject to exacting manufacturing and quality control standards. All discs are preset so that they will not significantly relax under load over time. We also offer pre-stressed disc springs specifically sized for use with bolts.
Belleville washers and other disc spring styles can be used singly or in stacks to achieve a desired load and travel. In general, they function best under conditions requiring a very high load in confined space or short travel. Under these constraints, it is often not practical or even possible to use a coil spring. In disc spring stacks, particularly those with parallel units, friction should be considered. Sliding friction is created at the disc's adjoining, moving surfaces. As a result, the deflection which occurs when loading a stack of discs will lag as the stack is unloaded (hysteresis). This characteristic may be taken advantage of in shock or oscillatory-loaded systems needing damping.
