Application Spotlight: Retaining Rings & Wave Springs in Quick Connectors

Wave Springs and Retaining Rings are widely utilized in quick connectors and circular plug-in connectors, including those with threaded and bayonet locking mechanisms, across military, aerospace, and industrial sectors. Designers can choose from single-turn, nested, or multi-turn wave springs, as well as custom options to meet the specific demands of various connector applications, offering flexibility and performance for virtually any design need.

Single-Turn Wave Springs in Quick Connectors

Single-turn wave springs are the ideal choice for use in connectors, when precise loading is required. Whether you need to provide a preload or take up tolerances, this design allows the spring to cling to the bore, saving more radial space compared to a traditional stamped wave washer. The overlapping ends help prevent radial jamming by enabling circumferential movement, ensuring consistent load performance at the specified work height.

Overlapping ends positioned in the wave’s incline ensure smooth contact without scratching surfaces. The use of rolled wire with a radius edge prevents damage to the housing or shaft, as it avoids the burrs typically created during stamping. Using a coiling process prevents wasting material and maintains the metal’s grain structure, unlike stamping methods. This uninterrupted force line in the circumferential direction enhances dynamic strength and reduces the risk of breakage.

After connecting the male and female component of the quick connector, the wave spring maintains constant force at its work height, with minimal load tolerance. This ensures a secure, continuous connection with the precise force needed. For corrosion resistance, materials like stainless steel (e.g., AISI 316 for offshore applications) and exotic alloys can be utilized to meet the specific requirements.

Multi-Turn Wave Springs in Quick Connectors

Multi-turn wave springs offer similar advantages to single-turn wave springs but have key differences that enhance their performance.

Unlike single-turn wave springs, multi-turn wave springs cannot cling to the bore. If the design of the multi-turn wave spring resulted in peripheral movement of the turns against each other, then this could cause problems. It could render the spring unstable because the local maxima of the waves will run out of their vertical line.

One major benefit of multi-turn wave springs is their increased travel and deflection capability. Because the overall deflection is distributed across each turn, each turn experiences less deflection than in a single turn design. Using multi-turn wave springs could result in a 50% reduction in axial space compared to traditional coil springs.

Similar loads with minimal tolerances are provided at various work heights, making it easy to adjust applications to meet specific requirements.

Two-Turn Spiral Retaining Rings & Snap Rings in Quick Connectors

Two-turn spiral retaining rings and snap rings with constant sections provide designers with enhanced flexibility to meet the specific requirements of unique applications.

Unlike traditional tapered rings, constant section rings lack lugs or lug holes, minimizing the risk of interference with adjacent components such as cables or the male part of a quick connector.

The ID/OD-lock function can be designed to create a permanent assembly between the connector cap and inner component. Since these rings are coiled and not stamped, they do not have sharp edges or burrs that could scratch soft surfaces, such as plastic housings.

With a 360° closed surface of contact, two-turn spiral rings prevent soft materials, like rubber sealing elements, from being pushed through gaps. This design ensures that local maxima of a wave spring cannot shift into openings, maintaining the specified load at work height.

Using AISI 316 stainless steel, Inconel, or Elgiloy, as a standard material for these rings ensures excellent corrosion resistance, making these rings ideal for offshore applications and the chemical industry.

Nested Wave Springs in Quick Connectors

Certain quick connectors demand higher forces to ensure secure connections, often due to safety regulations established by government standards or military and aerospace guidelines. When it comes to load limitations, single-turn wave springs are restricted by the wire sizes available for specific diameters. For applications requiring greater load capacity, nested wave springs are an excellent alternative.

A nested wave spring offers a higher load capacity than both single-turn wave springs and stamped wave washers, all while occupying the same radial space as a single-turn design. This compact design requires less radial space than a disc spring, which can also deliver higher loads, while providing significantly greater travel compared to a single disc spring.

Additionally, using a nested wave spring simplifies the assembly process. Unlike single-turn designs, stamped parts, or disc springs that require stacking, a nested wave spring consolidates functionality into a single component, making assembly more efficient and straightforward.

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