The Most Complete Guide to Springs

Spring is an elastic element widely used in the mechanical and electronic industries. The spring can produce a large elastic deformation when loaded, and the mechanical work or kinetic energy into deformation energy. After unloading the spring deformation disappears and returns to its original state, while the deformation energy is converted to mechanical work or kinetic energy. The ratio of spring load to deformation is called spring stiffness, the greater the stiffness, the more rigid the spring.

The role of the spring

Cushioning and vibration damping. Such as cars, trains under the box damping springs, a variety of buffers, such as buffer springs.

Control the movement of the mechanism. Such as the valve spring in the internal combustion engine, clutch control springs, etc.

Storage and output energy. Such as clock springs, gun bolt springs, etc.

Measure the size of the force. Such as spring scales, force measuring devices such as the spring.

The classification of springs

Spring by the nature of the force is divided into: extension springs, compression springs, torsion springs and bending springs.

Extension springs (referred to as tension springs) are helical springs that are subjected to axial tension, extension springs are generally manufactured with circular cross-section materials. When not subjected to load, extension springs are generally tightened without gaps between the circles.

Compression spring (referred to as compression spring) is to bear the pressure of the spiral spring, it uses the material cross-section is mostly round, but also rectangular and multi-stranded steel haunting rolled, the spring is generally equal pitch, compression spring with a certain gap between the circle and the circle, when subjected to external load spring contraction deformation, storage deformation energy.

Torsion springs are spiral springs. Torsion springs can store and release angular energy or hold a device in place statically by rotating the force arm around the central axis of the spring body. The end of the torsion spring is secured to other components, and as the other components rotate around the center of the spring, the spring pulls them back to their initial position, producing a torque or rotational force.

There are also two less common types of gas springs and carbon nanotube springs.

A gas spring is a non-metallic spring that uses the compressibility of air to achieve elasticity by adding pressurized air to a flexible, closed container. Air springs are widely used in automobiles and railroad locomotives because they can greatly improve the smoothness of the vehicle and thus greatly improve the comfort of the vehicle.

Carbon nanotube springs: the need to make carbon nanotube films, and then use spinning technology to spin carbon nanotube films into carbon nanotube springs. The diameter can reach hundreds of microns, while the length can reach several centimeters, and is expected to be applied to stretchable conductors, flexible electrodes, miniature strain sensors, supercapacitors, integrated circuits, solar cells, field emission sources, energy dissipation fibers and other fields, and is also expected to be applied to medical devices, such as tension sensing bandages.

The spring material and allowable stress

Spring in the work is often subject to alternating and shock loads, but also requires a large deformation, so the spring material should have high tensile strength, elastic limit and fatigue strength. In the process to have a certain degree of hardenability, not easy to decarburize, good surface quality.

The manufacture of springs

The spiral spring manufacturing process includes: the production of the coil, hook or end ring finishing, heat treatment, and process performance test.

Mass production is rolled on the universal automatic spring coiling machine; single piece and small batch production, it is made in the ordinary lathe or by hand. Spring wire diameter less than or equal to 8mm, commonly used cold roll method, roll before heat treatment, roll after low-temperature tempering. Diameter greater than 8mm, the use of hot roll (hot roll temperature 800 ℃ ~ 1000 ℃) method, hot roll after quenching and tempering treatment at medium temperature, spring forming to surface quality inspection, the surface should be clean, no scars, no decarburization, and other defects; variable load spring, but also subject to surface treatment such as shot blasting, in order to improve the spring fatigue life.

The end structure of the spring

Compression spring in addition to the effective number of turns to participate in the deformation n, in order to make the compression spring work evenly, stressed to ensure that the spring centerline perpendicular to the end surface, the spring ends have 3/4 to 7/4 turns and tightly play a supporting role. Work does not participate in the deformation, so-called the support circle.

Tension spring end hooks, in order to install and load. Commonly used end structure has four types; semi-circular hook and loop, round hook and loop manufacturing are convenient, widely used, but because the hook transition produces large bending stress, it is only suitable for spring wire diameter d ≤ 10mm spring. Adjustable and rotatable hooks are better force and can be turned to any position for easy installation.

At Huilida, we offer both standard and custom spring and wire forming manufacturing capabilities. industry experience our team has the knowledge, skills and tools to produce quality springs and wire that meet some of the most complex and unusual design specifications.