Design for additive manufacturing of variable dimension wave springs analyzed using experimental and finite element methods

Abstract

Wave springs have better properties than helical springs in terms of load bearing capacity, mass, energy absorption efficiency, and stiffness. Currently, available wave springs have waves that do not merge with each other (non-contact) with uniform shape and dimensions, manufactured by traditional manufacturing processes using customized machines in which forming, twisting, and cutting processes take place simultaneously. This study aims to design and manufacture wave springs with waves that merge with each other by additive manufacturing (AM). Variable-dimension wave springs are complex in design and can only be manufactured by AM owing to its design freedom, but they have much higher performance in load bearing, stiffness, energy absorption, and energy release compared to both uniform-dimension and uniformly shaped wave springs. To accomplish wave springs manufactured by AM, ten different wave springs were designed and manufactured with variable and uniform dimensions, using a HP MultiJet Fusion printer, by keeping the mass and height of each design constant. Compression tests were carried out for up to ten cycles to study and compare the load bearing capacity, energy absorption, stiffness, and energy loss for all designs. The results showed that the stiffness of the spring increased in the contact wave springs, which ultimately led to more energy absorption in these designs. The taper-wave spring was the best among all designs for load bearing, and it had the highest energy loss capacity, which was validated by finite element analysis of each design.