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Spring

Helical or coil springs designed for tension


A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made
out of hardened steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger
ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication. Some non-ferrous
metals are also used including phosphor bronze and titanium for parts requiring corrosion
resistance and beryllium copper for springs carrying electrical current because of its low
electrical resistance!.
"he rate of a spring is the change in the force it e#erts, di$ided by the change in
deflection of the spring. "hat is, it is the gradient of the force $ersus deflection cur$e. An
e#tension or compression spring has units of force di$ided by distance, for e#ample lbf%in
or &%m. "orsion springs ha$e units of force multiplied by distance di$ided by angle, such
as &'m%rad or ft'lbf%degree. "he in$erse of spring rate is compliance, that is if a spring has
a rate of () &%mm, it has a compliance of ).( mm%&. "he stiffness or rate! of springs in
parallel is additi$e, as is the compliance of springs in series.
*epending on the design and required operating en$ironment, any material can be used to
construct a spring, so long the material has the required combination of rigidity and
elasticity+ technically, a wooden bow is a form of spring.
Types
A spiral hair spring
A $olute spring. ,nder compression the coils slide o$er each other, so affording longer
tra$el.
Springs are classified according their properties.
*epending on load they may be classified as+
"ension%-#tension spring
.ompression spring
"orsional spring
/n tension%e#tension and compression there is a#ial load. 0n the other hand in the
torsional spring there is torsional force.
*epending on spring material it can be classified as+
1ire%.oil spring
2lat spring
"he most common types of spring are+
.antile$er spring - a spring which is fi#ed only at one end.
.oil spring or helical spring - a spring made by winding a wire around a
cylinder! and the conical spring - these are types of torsion spring, because the
wire itself is twisted when the spring is compressed or stretched. "hese are in turn
of two types+
o Compression springs are designed to become shorter when loaded. "heir
turns are not touching in the unloaded position, and they need no
attachment points.
A volute spring is a compression spring in the form of a cone,
designed so that under compression the coils are not forced against
each other, thus permitting longer tra$el.
o Tension springs are designed to become longer under load. "heir turns are
normally touching in the unloaded position, and they ha$e a hook, eye or
some other means of attachment at each end.
3ertical $olute springs of Stuart tank
4eaf spring on a truck
Hairspring or balance spring - a delicate spiral torsion spring used in watches,
gal$anometers, and places where electricity must be carried to partially-rotating
de$ices such as steering wheels without hindering the rotation.
4eaf spring - a flat springy sheet, used in $ehicle suspensions, electrical switches,
bows.
3-spring - used in antique firearm mechanisms such as the wheellock, flintlock
and percussion cap locks.
0ther types include+
5elle$ille washer or 5elle$ille spring - a disc shaped spring commonly used to
apply tension to a bolt and also in the initiation mechanism of pressure-acti$ated
landmines!.
6as spring - a $olume of gas which is compressed.
/deal Spring - the notional spring used in physics+ it has no weight, mass, or
damping losses.
7ainspring - a spiral ribbon shaped spring used as a power source in watches,
clocks, music bo#es, windup toys, and mechanically powered flashlights
8ubber band - a tension spring where energy is stored by stretching the material.
Spring washer - used to apply a constant tensile force along the a#is of a fastener.
A torsion bar twisted under load
"orsion spring - any spring designed to be twisted rather than compressed or
e#tended. ,sed in torsion bar $ehicle suspension systems.
&egator spring - a thin flat metal band that is coiled similar to a tape rule. "his
type of spring produces a constant force throughout a long displacement.
9:;

1a$e spring - a thin spring-washer into which wa$es ha$e been pressed.
9<;

Physics
"wo springs attached to a wall and a mass. /n a situation like this, the two springs can be
replaced by one with a spring constant of keq=k(>k?.
Theory
/n classical physics, a spring can be seen as a de$ice that stores potential energy by
straining the bonds between the atoms of an elastic material.
Hooke@s law of elasticity states that the e#tension of an elastic rod its distended length
minus its rela#ed length! is linearly proportional to its tension, the force used to stretch it.
Similarly, the contraction negati$e e#tension! is proportional to the compression
negati$e tension!.
"his law actually holds only appro#imately, and only when the deformation e#tension or
contraction! is small compared to the rod@s o$erall length. 2or deformations beyond the
elastic limit, atomic bonds get broken or rearranged, and a spring may snap, buckle, or
permanently deform. 7any materials ha$e no clearly defined elastic limit, and Hooke@s
law can not be meaningfully applied to these materials.
Hooke@s law is a mathematical consequence of the fact that the potential energy of the rod
is a minimum when it has its rela#ed length. Any smooth function of one $ariable
appro#imates a quadratic function when e#amined near enough to its minimum pointA and
therefore the force B which is the deri$ati$e of energy with respect to displacement B
will appro#imate a linear function.
Popular mechanics
.ontrary to popular belief, springs do not appreciably CcreepC or get CtiredC with age
alone. Spring steel has a $ery high resistance to creep under normal loads. 2or instance,
in a car engine, $al$e springs typically undergo about a quarter billion cycles of
compression-decompression o$er the engine@s life time and e#hibit no noticeable change
in length or loss of strength. 5ut for good measure, springs can be replaced when doing a
$al$e job. "he sag obser$ed in some older automobiles suspension is usually due to the
springs being occasionally compressed beyond their yield point, causing plastic
deformation. "his can happen when the $ehicle hits a large bump or pothole, especially
when hea$ily loaded. 7ost $ehicles will accumulate a number of such impacts o$er their
working life, leading to a lower ride height and e$entual bottoming-out of the suspension.
/n addition, frequent e#posure to road salt accelerates corrosion, leading to premature
failure of the springs in the car@s suspension. 1eakening of a spring is usually an
indication that it is close to complete failure.
Uses
Dogo Stick
Slinky
"rampoline
3ehicle suspension

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