The Ultimate Guide to Choosing disc springs stack

Disc Springs, also known as Belleville disc springs, Belleville springs, Belleville washers or conical washers, are specialised precision components designed for axial loading. Unlike other types of springs, Disc Springs have consistent and repeatable force/deflection curves that can be reliably determined using the standardised calculations of DIN EN (formerly DIN ). They can withstand static loads continuously or intermittently, as well as dynamic continuous load cycling. Multiple Disc Springs can be used in parallel, series, or a combination to achieve the desired force-deflection characteristic.

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Disc springs are perfect for high load situations, particularly when there is limited space available. These conical springs consist of a convex disc with the outer edge working against the centre of the disc, resulting in a strong spring force within a compact range of motion. This unique design allows for higher loads to be supported with minimal deflection and a smaller solid height compared to traditional helical springs. Due to their versatility, disc springs are widely utilised in various manufacturing and industrial settings. They have many common applications, such as: 

• Managing or suppressing vibrations
• Thermal expansion
• Valves
• Relaxation and Bolt Creep Problems
• Spring actuated brakes
• Energy storage
• Slip and overload clutches

 In critical applications such as safety valves, elevator clutch and brake mechanisms, and industrial pipe system supports, Disc Springs are the preferred choice due to their predictability, reliability, and unmatched fatigue life.

When axial loading is necessary for your application, disc springs offer the ideal solution. Our discs can be designed as either single or stacked, depending on the specific requirements of our customers.

At SpingXpert, we have a wide selection of disc springs available for immediate shipment, including over 500 unique designs from our extensive inventory. If you require a custom disc spring, our team can design and produce it to your exact specifications, whether you need a small or large quantity.

 Our spring and Belleville products are essential components in a wide range of sensitive applications within the oil services industry. These include safety valves, compression valves, chemical processing valves, completion tools, artificial lift pumps, oil well packers, drilling tools, and down-hole communications equipment.

Disc Springs have several advantages over other types of springs, such as:

•  A wide range of load/deflection characteristics
•  High load capacity with small deflection
•  Space savings – high load to size ratio
•  Consistent performance under design loads
•  Longer fatigue life
•  Inherent dampening especially with parallel stacking
•  Flexibility in stack arrangement to meet your application requirements.

Materials

Austenitic stainless steel is a popular choice for applications with minimal movement and exposure to corrosion. On the other hand, nickel stainless steel has proven its durability in fresh water and marine environments, as well as various industrial settings such as acidic conditions. However, it should be noted that this material may experience work hardening over time, limiting its cycle life but maintaining good resistance to creep.

Disc springs are available in a range of sizes and materials. These include stainless steel, phosphor bronze, carbon steel, and chrome vanadium steel. At SpringXpert, we provide extensive capabilities and a diverse selection of options for your disc spring manufacturing requirements, such as advanced quality control systems and expertise in regulations like RoHS, REACH, and DFARS. We also offer CAD-assisted product design, in-house prototype production services, and a global supply chain network.

We have EN (DIN ), Din disc springs, Belleville washers, serrated safety washers and slotted disc springs in stock. Our material selection includes 51CrV4, CS70 and CK67. Stainless Steel 300 Series Din 1., Din 1. and Din 1. our stock disc springs and Belleville washers come in imperial and metric sizes to fit various applications and bolt sizes.

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Choose from our wide range of standard options or utilise our Engineering design service to collaboratively determine the best Disc Spring or Disc Spring Stack for your application and assembly requirements.

Shorter stacks are more efficient, which is of particular importance for dynamic applications. As a result of friction between the Disc Springs as well as the guiding mandrel or sleeve, the Disc Springs at the moving end of the stack tend to deflect more than the Disc Springs at the opposite end. Using the largest practical diameter Disc Spring will reduce the number of Disc Springs per stack and the total stack height. It is recommended that the overall stack height does not exceed 3 times the external diameter of the Disc Spring or 10 Discs in series. If required, taller stacks can be divided with flat washers to provide stability.

Pre-Stacked

The process of installing Disc Spring Stacks in a production environment is generally a manual, time-intensive process that introduces an opportunity for errors in the stack configuration. Rather than configuring the stack of Disc Springs manually, Pre-Stacked Disc Springs (greased or ungreased) are available from manufacturers. These stacks are packaged in shrink-wrap with a perforated tab, allowing a simple installation process that saves time and helps mistake-proof the assembly process.

Stack Guidance

To keep the Disc Springs in position, the stacks need guiding. The preferred method is internal guidance, such as a rod/mandrel, through the inside diameter. In the case of external guiding, a sleeve is suggested. In either case, the guiding component should be case hardened to 58 HRC with a depth of not less than 0.6mm with a surface finish of ≤ 4 microns.

Since the diameter of the Discs change when compressed, the following clearance values are recommended:

By Darren Snell – Disc Spring Product Engineer
SPIROL

Disc Springs are conically-shaped, washer-type components designed to be statically loaded either continuously or intermittently, or dynamically subjected to continuous load cycling. What makes Disc Springs unique is that based on the standardized calculations of DIN (formally DIN ), the deflection for a given load is predictable.

Optimal Disc Spring performance is achieved with the working deflection between 15% and 75% of full deflection as it is in this range that the theoretical characteristics and measured results most accurately match. If a single Disc Spring is not capable of the force/deflection characteristics the application requires, Disc Springs stacked in series, parallel or combination can be used.

Methods of Stacking

For Disc Springs stacked in parallel or combination, friction between the parallel Disc surfaces needs consideration. Many factors affect the amount of friction of the Disc Springs Stack. These include, but are not limited to, surface roughness, number of Disc Springs stacked in parallel, and amount of deflection.  A reasonable allowance is 2-3% of the force for each sliding surface – a greater force for loading and a lesser force for unloading. Disc Springs stacked in parallel should be well lubricated and limited to a maximum of 3-4 Discs to reduce the deviation from the calculated to measured characteristics. Disc Springs stacked in parallel have increased self-dampening (hysteresis) characteristics. 

Stack Construction

Having both ends of the stack resting on the larger outer edge of the Disc is desirable. If this is not possible, such as with an odd number of Discs, the larger outer edge should be arranged to be on the end to which the force is applied.

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