Design

of
Springs
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Introduction

● A spring is defined as an elastic machine element which deflects

under the action of load and returns to its original shape when the
load is removed.

● Springs are used as :

○ vibration and shock absorbers (elevators and vehicle
suspension)
○ store energy (clocks and circuit breakers)
○ measure force (weighing balances)
○ apply force and control motion (engine valve mechanism and
clutch)

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Types of springs

Helical spring
● It is made from a wire, usually of
circular cross section, bent in the form
of a helix.
● It is of two types : compression and
extension springs
● External force acts along the axis of
the spring and induces torsional shear
in the wire
● The coils are wound tightly together so
that the initial force is required before
extension begins
● It is said to be closely coiled if the
plane containing each coil is
perpendicular to the axis of the helix
and the helix angle is less than 10
degrees
● If the helix angle is large and there is a
large gap between adjacent coils, it
said to be open coiled

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Types of springs

Helical torsion spring

● The construction is similar to extension/compression spring except that the ends are
formed in such a way that the spring is loaded by a torque about the axis of the coil
● It is used:
○ transmit torque in specific component or mechanism
○ door locks and automobile starters

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Types of springs

Multi leaf/ laminated spring

● It consists of a series of flat plates usually of semi elliptic shape, called leaves, having varying
lengths. The leaves are held together by means of u bolt and center clip
● the longest leaf is called the master leaf. its ends form the eyes of the spring
● widely used in automobiles and railroad suspensions
● the leaves are subjected to bending stresses

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Terminology

● Solid length : the axial length of the spring which is so compressed that the adjacent coils touch each
other.
solid length = Nt x d
N=number of coils
● Compressed length : the axial length of the spring when it is subjected to maximum compressive force
(maximum deflection). In order to prevent clashing of adjacent coils a small clearance (15% of maximum
deflection) is provided.
total gap = (N-1) x (gap between adjacent coils)
● Free length : the axial length of an unloaded compression spring
free length = compressed length + deflection = solid length + total axial gap + deflection
● Pitch : axial distance between adjacent coils in uncompressed state
p = free length/(N-1)
● Stiffness : force required to produce unit deflection
k = P/deflection
P = axial spring force
● Active coils : coils in the spring that contribute to the spring action
● Inactive coil : a portion of the end coils which is in contact with the seat and does not contribute to spring
action

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
 Spring Index and curvature shear
stress
Let us look at a small section of a circular spring, as shown in the Fig. Suppose we hold the section b-c fixed
and give a rotation to the section a-d in the anti clockwise direction then it is observed that line a-d rotates and
it takes up another position, say a'-d'.
The inner length a-b being smaller compared to the outer length c-d, the shear strain γi at the inside of the
spring will be more than the shear strain γo at the outside of the spring.
The above phenomenon is termed as curvature effect. So more is the spring index (C= D/d) the lesser will be
the curvature effect. For example, the suspensions in the railway carriages use helical springs. These springs
have large wire diameter compared to the diameter of the spring itself. In this case curvature effect will be
predominantly high.

● Spring index is defined as the ratio of mean coil diameter

● and wire diameter C=D/d
● A low spring index implies high sharpness of curvature
which results in excessive stresses in the wire
● A high spring index value is prone to buckling and
also tangles very easily
● It is usually in the range of 4-12
(considered best for manufacturing)

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Styles of end

● Four common methods : plain ends, plain and

ground ends, square ends and square and
ground ends
● The turns at the two ends do not affect the
deflection calculated by load deflection equation
● The end should designed in such a way that the
stress concentration at the bend is minimum
● For helical extension ends all coils are active coils

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

(a) N = Nt (b) N = Nt – 1/2 (c) N = Nt – 2 (d) N = Nt – 2

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Various End Styles of Helical
Extension Springs

N = Nt

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Design against Static Load
Stresses in Helical Compression &
Tension Spring

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Stress Profile in Helical Compression
Spring

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Deflection of Spring

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Spring materials

● It is based on :
○ load acting on spring
○ range of stress through which spring operates
○ mass and volume limitations
○ expected fatigue life
○ environmental conditions - temperature, corrosive atmosphere
○ severity of deformation while making spring

Material

1) Cold drawn steel

2) Oil hardened and tempered (unalloyed)
3) Oil hardened and tempered (unalloyed)
4) Stainless Steel

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

1. Design a helical compression spring:
Max. force: 1250 N, Deflection : 30 mm, C=6, material: Patented cold drawn
steel wire, Sut= 1090, G= 81370 N/mm2, Permissible shear stress = 50% of
Sut. Calculate
– Wire dia
– Mean coil dia
– Number of active coils
– Total number of coils
– Free length of spring
– Pitch of the coil

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

2. A direct reading tension spring balance consists of a helical tension spring,
which is attached to rigid support at one end and carries mass at other free
end. The pointer attached to the free end moves on a scale and indicates
the mass. The length of the sacle is 100 mm, which is divided in to 50 equal
divisions. Each division on the scale indicates 0.5 kg. Maximum capacity of
spring balance is 25 kg. C=6. material: oil hardened and tempered steel
wire of grade-SW (G= 81370 N/mm2). Permissible shear stress = 50% of Sut.
Design the spring.

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus