During the use of bolts, flat washers and spring washers each play indispensable roles. So, how should one make the choice? Today, let’s talk about it.
Flat washer
How to choose flat washers?
Flat washers are components used to prevent the locking of bolts and nuts. They are used wherever fasteners are employed.
How to select the appropriate flat washer?
Flat washers are a type of washer ring, mainly serving to increase the contact area between screws and some large equipment and for tightening. When using flat washers, it is often suitable for the combination of nuts and nuts. When storing flat washers, it is necessary to ensure the most effective sealing time and have essential important characteristics:
1. In harsh environments, the flat washer should be sealed. When certain temperatures and pressures are present during the working time, leakage is unlikely to occur.
2. When connecting the flat washer and the contact surface, better sealing performance should be ensured, like a perfect effect.
3. When the washer is under pressure and affected by temperature, its anti-wrinkling ability should be good. Otherwise, the screw will be damaged, and there will be hard gas leakage.
4. When using the flat washer, there should be no contamination.
5. Using flat washers can facilitate disassembly, which is the greatest advantage of choosing flat washers.
6. Remember to use flat washers under the condition of normal temperature and normal use.
To better use flat washers, when choosing flat washers, try to select flat washers that are electroplated with anti-rust and anti-corrosion materials. This not only saves time and effort but also enables the function of the flat washer to be fully exerted.
When used in conjunction with bolts and nuts, the selection criteria for flat washers are as follows:
1. When choosing the material of the washer, one should be aware of the electrochemical corrosion issues when different metals come into contact. The material of the flat washer is generally the same as that of the connected component, usually steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc. If there is a requirement for conductivity, copper and copper alloys can be selected.
2. The inner diameter size of the flat washer should be selected based on the larger value between the thread or screw diameter. If the connected material is relatively soft (such as a composite material) or is to be paired with a spring washer, the outer diameter should be chosen to be a larger value.
3. When placing a W-ring under the head of a bolt or screw, to avoid interference between the rounded edge at the head and the ring, a flat ring with an internal chamfer can be selected.
4. For large-diameter critical bolts, or when it is necessary to enhance the anti-compression capability, steel washers should be used. For bolt connections subjected to tension or tension-compression combined loads, steel washers should also be employed.
5. Special gaskets are applied to specific areas with special requirements. For example, copper gaskets can be used if conductivity is needed; gasket with air-tightness requirements can be used as well.
The functions of the flat washer:
1. Increase the contact area between the screw and the machine.
2. Eliminate the damage to the machine surface caused by the spring washer when removing the screw. When using, it must be: spring washer + flat washer, the flat washer is in contact with the machine surface, and the spring washer is between the flat washer and the nut.
The flat washer is used to increase the force-bearing surface of the screw. The spring washer serves as a certain amount of buffering and protective function when the screw is under force to prevent it from loosening. Although the flat washer can be used as a sacrificial pad.
3. However, more often it is used as a supplementary pad or a flat pressing pad.
- Advantages:
① By increasing the contact area, the components can be protected from damage;
② By increasing the contact area, the pressure between the nut and the equipment is reduced, thereby providing protection.
- Disadvantages:
① The flat washer cannot provide seismic protection;
② The flat washer also has no anti-loosening function.
Spring washers
The function of the spring washer:
1. The function of the spring washer is that after the nut is tightened, the spring washer provides a spring force to the nut, keeping it firmly in place and preventing it from falling off. The basic function of the spring is to provide a force to the nut after it is tightened, increasing the friction between the nut and the bolt.
2. Generally, spring washers are used instead of flat washers (except when it is necessary to protect the surfaces of fasteners and the installation surface, in which case both flat and spring washers can be used).
3. Flat washers are typically used in connection components. One type is soft in texture, while the other is hard and brittle. Their main function is to increase the contact area, distribute the pressure, and prevent the soft material from being damaged.
- Advantages:
① The spring washer has a good anti-loosening effect;
② The spring washer has a good shock resistance effect;
③ The manufacturing cost is low;
④ Installation is very convenient.
- Disadvantages:
Spring washers are greatly influenced by the material and manufacturing process. If the material is of poor quality, the heat treatment is not properly controlled, or other processes are not carried out accurately, the washers are prone to cracking. Therefore, it is essential to choose a reliable manufacturer.
When to use flat washers and when to use spring washers?
1. Generally, when the load is relatively small and does not bear vibration load, flat washers alone can be used.
2. When the load is relatively large and bears vibration load, flat washers and spring washers must be used in combination.
3. Spring washers are basically not used alone; they are always used in combination.
During actual use, due to the different focuses of flat washers and spring washers, in many cases, the two are used together as a pair to achieve the advantages of protecting components, preventing the nuts from loosening, and reducing vibrations. This is an excellent choice.
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