Introduction to Wave Washer Knowledge

​Wave WasherAfter specific heat treatment methods, the hardness is generally controlled between HRC 44-55 depending on the specific situation. The surface is black, and the elasticity is good. It is widely used in motors, textile machinery, hydraulic equipment, automobiles, and other industries. It is mainly installed in bearing cavities or holes of suitable specifications (nominal size). The installation space is small, and it has special noise reduction and vibration damping functions.

　　The fixation of parts on the wave washer shaft can be divided into axial fixation and circumferential fixation. Axial fixation methods include: shaft shoulder or shaft ring fixation, shaft end retaining ring or conical surface fixation, shaft sleeve fixation, circular nut fixation, and elastic retaining ring fixation. Retaining rings mainly play the role of axial fixation, and the concentricity of the conical surface and the retaining ring is high.

　　Common causes of wave washer failure:

　　Material problems leading to wave washer failure are mainly manifested in two aspects: improper material selection and material quality problems. When the sealing material is incompatible with the fluid, the rubber absorbs the liquid and expands, resulting in it not easily deforming; or the hardness of the rubber material is improperly selected, the elasticity is poor, and it cannot play a sealing role, leading to sealing failure and leakage.

　　Considering the convenience of process operation, materials that theoretically can achieve the performance of rubber wave washers were selected, but improper formulation or vulcanization process led to the failure of the rubber wave washers. Or the selected rubber friction coefficient is not suitable, the mixed rubber is not mixed evenly, or impurities are accidentally mixed in the mixing process, the amount of additives exceeds the standard, or there are phenomena such as segregation, porosity, looseness, and poor bonding between the reinforcing agent and the base material. These will lead to the performance degradation and failure of the wave washer.

　　Surface treatment methods for wave washers:

　　The surface of the wave washer needs to be oxidized and blackened to ensure that the surface is free of defects, oxidation rust, and other不良现象. At the same time, the wave distribution of the wave washer should be uniform. Due to its wave shape, thin thickness, and elasticity, it is difficult to feed and accurately assemble the wave washer into place. Because the wave washer is a thin annular elastic metal component composed of several wave crests and troughs, it is made of high-quality spring steel and, after specific heat treatment, its hardness is generally controlled between HRC 44-55, with good elasticity.

　　Analysis from aspects such as chemical composition, microstructure, fracture morphology, hydrogen content, and hardness. The reason for the continuous early fracture of the surface of the wave washer in use was analyzed. Hydrogen embrittlement and temper embrittlement verification tests were conducted on the same batch of parts, and the influence of dehydrogenation time, hydrogen content, hardness, and tempering temperature on the fracture morphology was analyzed. At the same time, the influence of different hardness testing methods on the hardness value of the wave washer was analyzed.