Knowledge Center

Grunnleggende og definisjoner

Practical answers for wave spring and retaining ring selection, installation, materials and troubleshooting.

55 Published questions
2 Core topics
1:1 Question intake

If the published answers do not match your application, send us your question and our team will review it.

Questions & Answers

Engineer-reviewed questions

Loading questions...

A Reference Answer

An internal spiral ring is designed to expand tightly into a groove cut inside a cylinder, bore, or housing to retain internal components.

A Reference Answer

A 2-turn spiral retaining ring consists of two continuous turns of coiled flat wire layered together, doubling the thickness and significantly increasing thrust capacity compared to a single-turn ring.

Q25 Retaining Rings

What is a spiral retaining ring?

A Reference Answer

A spiral retaining ring (or Spirolox style ring) is a retaining ring formed by coiling flat wire on edge to create a 360-degree continuous retaining surface with no ears or lugs to interfere with mating parts.

A Reference Answer

They can be self-centering if designed to fit snugly over a shaft or inside a bore clearance. Proper piloting is essential for optimal performance.

A Reference Answer

A multi-turn wave spring consists of several continuous layers of wave-formed flat wire, typically structured crest-to-crest, to fulfill high deflection requirements.

A Reference Answer

The number of waves per turn is determined by design calculations based on the required diameter, spring rate, load capacity, and clearance constraints to avoid binding.

A Reference Answer

Free height is the uncompressed total axial length of the wave spring when no external load or force is applied.

A Reference Answer

Solid height is the length of the spring when it is compressed completely flat. Operating a spring at or near solid height should be avoided to prevent permanent deformation or fatigue failure.

A Reference Answer

Wave springs offer highly accurate and predictable linear spring rates over a larger deflection range, whereas Belleville washers generate exceptionally high loads over very tiny deflections with highly non-linear rates.

A Reference Answer

An overlap wave spring features overlapping ends. This configuration prevents the ends from catching on each other during compression, providing uniform radial expansion inside a tight bore.

A Reference Answer

Plain ends are lighter and less expensive. Choose them when the adjacent components can handle localized point contacts at the crests without wear or indentation.

A Reference Answer

Shim ends are flat, continuous surfaces added to the top and bottom waves of the spring. They provide a 300-degree flat bearing surface for more uniform distribution of forces onto adjacent parts.

No matching questions

TOP