Embossed Stainless Screw Lock Washer for Spring Action
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stainless steel screw lock washers with high corrosion resistance and sufficient spring effect for maintaining screw connection preload are costly and difficult to produce, especially when heat treatment compromises corrosion properties and does not meet operational reliability requirements.
Innovation Solution
A corrosion-resistant screw lock washer with a stainless steel washer body, featuring a convex design and embossed surfaces with varying knurling patterns on both sides, providing a high spring effect through material thickness and surface hardening, and angled ring section surfaces for enhanced securing, made from inexpensive and formable stainless steel materials like 1.4301 or 1.4401.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heat treatment is applied to stainless steel to increase spring properties, then spring action is improved, but corrosion resistance deteriorates and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the stainless steel surface through embossing, creating surface tension and localized plastic deformation. This generates spring action through geometric configuration rather than thermal treatment, maintaining corrosion resistance while achieving the required elastic properties for preload compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal field (heat treatment) with a mechanical field (embossing process). The embossing creates surface hardening and geometric spring action through mechanical deformation, substituting the need for heat-induced phase transformations while preserving the material's corrosion-resistant microstructure.
2Strength
If material thickness is increased to improve spring effect, then spring action is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality changes through embossing, creating zones of surface hardening and plastic deformation at specific locations on the washer surface. This localized modification generates spring action without requiring uniform thickness increase throughout the entire washer, reducing material consumption and manufacturing cost.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a high spring effect and improved corrosion resistance while maintaining cost-effectiveness, ensuring operational reliability in demanding environments like the food sector, with adjustable surface tension and enhanced locking properties.
Implementation Method 1
The surfaces of the upper surface (6) and of the lower surface (1) are densified by an embossing process
Implementation Method 2
The washer body (1) has a material thickness of at least 1.5 mm and is convex in shape. This results in a high spring effect that compensates for settling effects and maintains the preload of a bolted joint
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a corrosion-resistant screw locking washer with an annular stainless steel disc body for arrangement between a screw head and a flat surface (5), comprising a disc top (6) and a disc bottom (1). The surfaces of the disc top (6) and the disc bottom (1) of the disc body are densified by an embossing process, the disc body having a material thickness of at least 1.5 mm and being convex.