Official Answer
Answer
The spring rate $k$ for a single-turn wave spring is primarily determined by the material properties and geometry. For a given load $P$ and deflection $f$, the relationship is expressed as $k = \frac{E b t^3 N^4}{R^3 D_m}$, where $E$ is the Modulus of Elasticity, $b$ is the radial width, $t$ is the material thickness, $N$ is the number of waves, and $D_m$ is the mean diameter. Note that for precision applications, the stress $\sigma$ must also be verified using $\sigma = \frac{3 \pi P D_m}{4 b t^2 N^2}$. In multi-turn Crest-to-Crest designs, the rate is divided by the number of active turns $Z$, assuming the waves are perfectly aligned to act in series.
