Belleville washers—also known as conical washers or disc springs—are designed to help fasten heavy loads and withstand vibrations or thermal expansion without a loss of torque. As a type of heavy-duty spring washer, their convex shape maintains optimal axial loading (i.e., applying force to a structure along its axis) to prevent hardware creep challenges.
Below, we’ll provide a breakdown of what you need to know about Belleville washers.
A Belleville washer’s conical shape operates as a simple spring when nuts and bolts are tightened. Rather than multiple coils that compress, a disc spring’s shape “deflects” until it resembles a flat washer. The resistance against this deflection secures the load and allows the hardware to withstand vibrations and other conditions.
When working with heavy loads in tight spaces or meeting heavy spring load requirements, Belleville washers will be the best choice for your application. This is because they allow significantly less movement and compression when fastening the same load compared to coil springs.
However, for the same reason, loads that are too light will not benefit from a Belleville washer’s deflection and will remain stationary instead.
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