White Paper: Aerospace
This Coil Spring Alternative Is Transforming Manufacturing
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As manufacturers push for smaller, lighter, and more efficient designs, traditional coil springs are increasingly limiting what is possible. This paper introduces an established yet often overlooked alternative that achieves comparable performance while dramatically reducing space constraints. By rethinking how compression force is generated and applied, engineers can unlock new design flexibility, streamline assemblies, and reduce overall system costs in applications where every millimeter matters.
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Overview
This document from Smalley introduces wave springs as an innovative alternative to traditional helical coil springs, highlighting their advantages in modern manufacturing where size, weight, and efficiency constraints are critical.
Wave springs and coil springs are both compression springs designed to provide axial load. However, wave springs differ significantly in design and performance. The key benefit of wave springs is their substantial axial space savings: they can deliver the same force and deflection as a coil spring while occupying up to 50% less height. This is primarily due to two design features: the use of flat wire instead of round wire—which reduces vertical space—and the multiple waves per turn, which contribute to load output. The Crest-to-Crest® wave spring design notably enhances space efficiency by achieving similar spring rates as coil springs but with a lower free height.
Functionally, both spring types operate similarly in providing axial force when compressed. Wave springs start at a free height and compress to a work height to generate a specified load, just like coil springs. The main difference is in energy storage and release mechanics: wave springs rely on bending of the waves (similar to a simple beam), while coil springs store energy through torsion.
Wave springs can match or exceed coil springs in spring rate through design modifications such as adjusting the number of waves, material thickness, or turns. Although wave springs may have a higher unit price, they often lead to significant overall cost reductions. This results from smaller, lighter assemblies with reduced spring cavities, which save material and manufacturing costs in the broader system.
However, wave springs are not suitable for all applications. They are best for tight radial and axial spaces but not ideal for large travel or very high load requirements, such as in pogo sticks. They are designed exclusively for compression and are not a direct substitution where extension or torsion springs are needed.
For engineers interested in replacing coil springs with wave springs, Smalley recommends providing detailed application parameters for proper design integration rather than direct substitution.
In summary, wave springs offer a space-saving, cost-effective, and high-performance alternative to traditional coil springs, revolutionizing compression spring applications in constrained environments. Their key strengths lie in reduced height, efficient force transmission, and enabling smaller, lighter assemblies that can transform product manufacturing.