When and Why You Should Use a Spring Lock Washer?

Washers are one of the smallest hardware you can find in the market, specifically designed to support bigger applications. Multiple types of washers are used to hold fasteners in place and don’t allow them to loosen up over time due to friction. 

Spring washers are one of the most popular washers that have made their place in the industrial sector by providing an effective, cheap, and simple way to secure threaded fasteners in place. With time, nuts, bolts, and other threaded fasteners loosen up due to joint movement and friction. To prevent their loosening, spring washers are used. When these washers are properly applied, they keep the fasteners intact for a long period of time.

The washers are available in different standard sizes, materials, and finishes so that you can pick the one that suits your requirements best. Multiple steel washer suppliers are out there in the market, offering a vast range of washers. These hardware pieces also act as spacers between the fastener and mating surface to ensure machines and other equipment noise-free performance, dampen the vibrations, and prevent the surface from damage.

Types of Spring Lock Washers:

• Helical lock washer: These washers are commonly used to prevent the assembly components from loosening. They look like a ring with uneven ends that bite into the fastener material to prevent it from turning. The washers have teeth located on the inside diameter that help them secure the fasteners in place more effectively.

• External-tooth Lock Washer: The washers have teeth on the outside diameter that is perfect for securing large fasteners in place. These washers are also available with teeth on both the inside and outside diameter of the ring for providing better security with large fastener heads.

Where are they used?

The high-quality spring lock washers serve their application in various industries. As the washers have the ability to withstand heavier loads and extreme temperatures & pressures, they are used in various manufacturing assemblies to ensure their efficient and safe performance.

Due to their smaller size, the washers are used in small-sized machines where coil springs cannot be used. They provide greater tension per unit of torque applied, thus preventing the loosening of components. The washers also prevent damage that can be caused by temperature and corrosion.

The spring washers are used in the following industries:

• Mechanical

• Automobiles

• Railways

• Marine

• Oil Industry.

• Medical Instrumentation

• Mechanical Instrumentation

• Construction.

They are used for various applications such as:

• Pumps, valves, and boiler suspension systems.

• Braking systems and aerial cable cars.

• Machine presses, overload protection components in electrical transformers, and couplings.

When should spring lock washers be used?

• When the need to eliminate the rattling of machines is required.

• To maintain the tension in machines and prevent the assembly components from loosening.

• When there is a requirement to recompense the enlargement and compression of assembly.

• In machines that require high tensile strength.

• To absorb shocks while a machine is performing at high-speed by providing a controlled reaction to them.

Why should spring washers be used?

• The washers are easy to use and help in fastening and unfastening nuts and screws easily.

• The washers are mainly made of metals like stainless steel and copper that give them the ability to deliver long-lasting functioning.

• The washers possess dimensional accuracy and precision that makes them perfect hardware with the ability to serve the requirement of different industries.

• The washers are resistant to abrasion, corrosion, rust, and effects of temperatures and pressure.

• One major reason to use spring washers is that they come in various coatings and finishes that make them suitable for outdoor conditions.

Several steel washers suppliers are there in the hardware market that offer spring lock washers in various specifications so that clients can have the ones that precisely fulfill their industrial needs.

The washers may look small in size but play an essential role in maintaining the functioning of different sized machinery and equipment. The high-performance of these loosening-prevention washers has helped the manufacturing industry to come with advanced machinery and products that have made working in industries easier and efficient. Washers are one of the greatest inventions humankind has done to add convenience to the majority of industrial operations.