Springs

What Do Springs Do?

• Generate a force
– Pull ® extension spring
– Push ® compression spring
– Twist ® torsion spring
• Store energy
– Springs store potential energy
– e.g. circuit breaker, fire alarm
• Absorb energy
– But they do not dissipate energy
– e.g. vehicle suspension, vibration isolation
• Measure force
– e.g. spring scale
Springs MCEN 3025 2

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 Helical Springs

Compression Extension Torsion

• Wide load and deflection range

• Can be very linear
• Round or square wire

Springs MCEN 3025 3

Helical Spring Behavior

Force (F)
Working Range Yielding

Deflection
Compression Extension (y)

Many springs are linear

over a large range
F=k y
Coils
compress Most springs become
solid nonlinear at high force

Springs MCEN 3025 4

2
 Beam Springs

• Cantilever or simply supported

• Wide load range
• Low deflection range
• Can be very linear
• Can be tapered to adjust stiffness linearity
(width or thickness)
• May be stacked (leaf spring)
Springs MCEN 3025 5

Spring Washers

Belleville Wave Slotted Finger Curved

• Low deflections
• Most have light loads (except Belleville)

Springs MCEN 3025 6

3
 Belleville Washers

Wide range of
linearity Fig. 10-8

May be stacked
to adjust
characteristics

Parallel Series Series-parallel

Springs MCEN 3025 7

Flat Wound Springs

Power Springs Constant Force Springs

• Exert torque over many turns • Large deflection

• e.g. clock spring • Constant force (zero rate)
• e.g. tape measure

Springs MCEN 3025 8

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 Helical Compression Springs
Spring Index
C = D/d
free length

pitch Rule of Thumb:

4 < C < 12
helix spring dia. 3 < Na < 15
Do - d

End
Conditions

Plain ends Plain-ground Squared Squared-ground

Springs MCEN 3025 9

Stress in Helical Springs

Two components of shear stress: torsion (t = Tr/J)
direct shear (t = F/A)
8 FD
τ max = K (10-3)
πd 3
Choice of two K factors to use:
2C + 1
Static loading: Ks = (10-4)
Shear-stress augmentation factor 2C
4C − 1 .615
Fatigue loading: Kw = + (10-5)
Wahl factor 4C − 4 C
4C + 2
Bergsträsser factor KB = (10-6)
4C − 3
Springs MCEN 3025 10

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 Stress Correction Factors
1.50
1.45
1.40
Correction Factor

1.35
1.30
Kw - Wahl factor
1.25
1.20
KB - Bergsträsser factor
1.15
1.10
1.05 Ks - Shear factor
1.00
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Spring Index (C)

Springs MCEN 3025 11

Spring "Set"

Lo'
Lo < Lo'

Unstressed spring Compressed solid Force relaxed

• Local yielding occurs (cold working)

• Cold working causes strain strengthening
• Strain strengthening increases local yield strength
• For as-wound springs: use KB
• If the spring has had the "set removed": use KS

Springs MCEN 3025 12

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 Spring Materials
• Strength of spring wire is inversely and
exponentially proportional to diameter
• Cold drawing hardens and strengthens
spring wire (but reduces ductility)

A
Tensile
strength
Sut = (10-17) See Table 10-5 for A, m
dm
e.g. .006 in. dia. music wire
Sut = 424 kpsi!

Springs MCEN 3025 13

Shear Strength of Spring Wire

Material As-wound Set removed

Music wire Ssy = .45 Sut Ssy = .65 Sut
CD carbon steel
Hardened & tempered carbon steel Ssy = .50 Sut Ssy = .65 Sut
Low-alloy steel
Austenitic stainless steel Ssy = .35 Sut Ssy = .65 Sut
Nonferrous alloys Ssy = .35 Sut Ssy = .65 Sut

(10-28)

Springs MCEN 3025 14

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 Deflection F
Helical spring wire is loaded in torsion

D/2
l = pDNa
F

8FD 3 N a F d 4G
y= (10-8) à k= = (10-9)
d 4G y 8D 3 N a

where: F = axial load

D = mean coil diameter (not OD)
d = wire diameter
Na = number of active coils
G = shear modulus (see Table 10-12)

Springs MCEN 3025 15

Workshop 14
A helical compression spring is wound from 3.5 mm dia . A228 music wire (set
removed) and has an OD of 22 mm. The spring has plain-ground ends.

a) In order to achieve a spring rate of 25 N/mm, specify the total number of

coils in the spring
b) Round to the nearest 1/4 turn
c) Calculate the actual spring rate
d) If a force of 500 N is applied, what is the deflection in the spring?
e) What is the shear stress?
f) What is the factor of safety against yielding?

Springs MCEN 3025 16

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 Compression Spring Buckling

Springs MCEN 3025 17

A Simple Approach to Stability

D
Lo < 2.63 (10-17)`
α
where: a = end-condition constant (Table 10-3)
valid for steel springs only
If a compression spring is apt to buckle, all is not lost!
• Place a rod inside spring, or
• Use the spring inside a tube

Springs MCEN 3025 18

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 Compression Spring Design
Static Loading Or use Table 10-13
8KFmax C
1. Estimate wire diameter τ = = . 75(.577) Ad b
πd 2

8KFmaxC
• Fmax includes F.S. at solid ht.
d 2+ b =
• Include clash allowance (~15%) .75(.577)πA
• Need to specify C

2. Round to preferred wire size (Table 10-6)

3. Solve equation (10-9) for Na using desired spring rate

d G
Na =
8C 3k

Springs MCEN 3025 19

Spring Design (cont'd)

4. Check buckling
• Calculate solid height Ls = N t d
Fmax
• Calculate free length Lo = Ls +
k
• Check for buckling

Springs MCEN 3025 20

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