Patent ID: 8166626

Claim:
A method of mounting a stack of Belleville springs about a shaft, comprising the steps of: a) providing a groove in a surface of the shaft; b) positioning individual springs over the shaft; c) providing a ring plate next to an upper most spring, the ring plate having a guide element thereon; d) providing a Seeger ring above the ring plate, wherein an inner edge of the Seeger ring is configured to move into the guide element of the ring plate when the springs are compressed; e) placing over the shaft and the springs a jig having at least one axially extending pressure bar that is radially inwardly biased to urge an inner circumferences of all of the springs into contact with axially aligned points on the surface of the shaft; f) contacting the Seeger ring, the plate ring, and the uppermost spring with a compression element; g) compressing the springs with the compression element while they are urged by the pressure bar against the shaft, and moving the Seeger ring, the plate ring, and the springs downward during compression; h) moving an outer edge of the Seeger ring into the groove of the shaft and moving the inner edge of the Seeger ring into the guide element of the plate ring, at least a portion of the guide element and the Seeger ring extending over the springs when the springs are in a compressed position; and i) retaining the springs in an at least partially compressed position via the position of the Seeger ring in both the groove of the shaft and the guide element of the plate ring.