Belleville & Conical Washers

At last count we had manufactured more than 700 different "coned annular-disk springs of uniform cross section (radially symmetric) proportioned to provide a wide variety of load-deflection curves". Each with a unique set of dimensions that generally provide surpisingly consistent, repeatable and reliable performance.
These range from small ODs of a few millimetres, weighing less than a gram, to those that are more than 20mm thick, over 500mm in outer diameter, weighing kilograms each and designed to take loads of many tonnes.
Our use of the quote above is in homage to J.0. ALMEN AND A. LASZLO, the two fine minds whose original paper provides much of what is still reliably applied today when modelling Disc Springs.

The Basics first

We have provided as much information on our website as we thought necessary and with the FAQ, we expect you'll find some useful answers. If you need to talk, then feel free to call us, we are here to help.

Belleville Load Washers DIN6796 vs Conical Disc Springs DIN-EN 16983

We will concern ourselves here with the products that most often get confused. We will deal with two broad categories of Conical Spring (or Belleville or Bevel or Cup Washer, as they are sometimes called), firstly we have the DIN6796 - Heavy Load Washers. They are used to secure bolted connections with high load demands. The disc spring design ensures a permanent force/pressure to the union between the bolt and its nut and thus prevents the loss of pre-load. Unsurprisingly, these come in sizes that correspond to bolt sizes. We cater for the smaller(M2) to the largest bolt size(M125). We carry a raneg of the popular sizes in stock and manufacture the remainder on demand, the sizes of which are provided in the preceding link.

Then we have the DIN2093, or more recently DIN-EN-16983, Conical Disc Springs. These are specifically designed to provide the properties of a spring, and a Load Characteristic Curve illustrates the expected relationship between force applied and the resulting travel or compression of the spring. The graph to the left, is the Load Characteristic Curve for Class 2 - 18.4 x 50 x 2 Disc Spring with a Height of 3.65mm, whilst the graph to the right is that of a Class 3 - 64x125x7 reduced thickness disc spring (ie with contact flats) where T'=6.55mm and the L0=10mm.

Characteristic Load Curve Verification

As part of our services and quality assurance, we will calculate the expected Load Characteristic Curve of any individual disc spring or disc spring stack for you. In certain instances we have our disc springs (usually in stacks), independently tested by either SGS Metlab or the CSIR's mechanical tesing labs.

Where to next - more information?

Our FAQ page should be helpful for anything else.

If you need DIN 6796 Load Washers, everything you need including bolt sizes & dimensions is available on its dedicated page..

For Disc Spring Washers, there is more detail and everything you require can be found on the DIN2093 /DIN-EN-16983, home page.

For more information on how we go about our design and load characteristic performance verification, please view our approach to design calculations.

For information on ordering disc springs and the information we require to make sure you get exactly what your engineering application requires, please go to this page.

Follow these links for lists of all sizes available in DIN 2093 Group 1 and 2 sizes and all the Group 3 disc springs we offer as standard.

Although we are principally known for specialising in the larger Group 3 reduced thickness disc springs with contact surfaces (thicknesses of 6mm and greater), we do cater for the smaller sizes, such as these listed below.` Click Here to download information on all the Group 3 disc springs we offer as standard.

If you need to read up on SpringSteel and the various alloys available, as well as the key points of heat treatment, then Visit our sister company website - Cheng Xin Spring Steel.

Very quick write-ups on key terms are provided at our sister company website. They introduce the basics around Yield Strength, explain Stress vs Strain curves and Plasticity and Deformation, introduce Hardening vs Hardenability, etc. There is also information on naming conventions for steel. If you are curious and want to know a bit about these terms then read these introductory topics.