Disc spring and Belleville spring application
Technical names such as disc spring DIN 2093 or spring DIN 6796 are not known by a lot of people. Actually, we are not aware of the importance that these springs have in our life.
This happens with disc springs, which are pieces used in a lot of everyday applications. They are used to avoid malfunction of the systems that use them. Without these pieces, serious accidents affecting many people could happen.
Have you ever traveled by train or gone on a cableway? These transports have the use of disc springs in their mechanisms in common. Trains are usually used in everyday life. We are not aware of the vibrations produced between the carriage and the railway track: it happens thanks to disc springs, because they absorb and damp them. And in the case of the cableway, the disc spring is used to maintain the hitch pressure on the cable. This offsets the cable deformation and maintains a stable and sufficient tension.
A lot of vehicles and heavy machines have an emergency brake to avoid injuries and accidents in case of a system failure. These brakes are made of compressed disc springs that are released in case of loss of hydraulic pressure. With their tension they act as a brake of the vehicle or the machine. Cranes also use these springs for their emergency brakes in case of overload.
Do we want stronger and longer-lasting bridges? Increasingly, bridges use disc springs to support the vibrations produced by heavy weights, wind and temperature changes, thus avoiding the impairment of their structure.
In 2011, there was a terrible earthquake in Lorca. Due to this horrible event, several construction approaches are being adopted for new buildings all over the country. Disc springs are a perfect option to strengthen the foundations of buildings and to damp the seismic vibrations produced, reducing structural damage.
These washers or disc springs are very versatile and practical, and are also used to prevent leaks in flanges and valves, in fixings of high-voltage electrical connections, in clamping tools such as milling machines and lathes, and even in fixings for opening car doors, among others.
Usually, we don't think about all the small elements that make our environment a safer place. Maybe we don't see them at first sight, but thanks to them we avoid a lot of accidents and misfortunes.
You can find more information about disc springs at:
