8.

Spring design Introduction

Objectives „ Springs give a relatively large elastic

Identify, describe, and understand principles of several types of
of springs
deflection.
•
including helical compression springs, helical extension springs,
springs, torsion
tubes, and leaf spring systems.
• Design and analyze helical compression springs, including „ Application of springs
compatibility with allowable stresses.
„ Control of motion in machines
• Develop necessary analytical tools for spring design.
• Understand the principles of operation of springs and how to analyze
analyze „ Reduction of transmitted forces as a result of
the energy being absorbed by springs. impact or shock loading
Review principles of design for other types of springs, such as extension
•
springs and leaf springs. „ Storage of energy
• Select predesigned springs from manufacturers’
manufacturers’ catalogs and „ Measurement of force
incorporate them in appropriate designs.

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Fig 8.1 Common Types of Springs Fig 8.1 Common Types of Springs

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Helical Compression springs

Fig. 8.2 Types of compression springs
„ Made from round wire and wrapped in
cylindrical form with a fixed pitch
„ Plain end
„ Least expensive
„ Tends to bow sideways under load
„ Plain and ground end
„ Better mating conditions being flat
„ Likely to get entangled in storage
„ Squared end
„ Squared and ground end
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1
 Types of compression springs Helical Extension springs
„ Similar to compression springs
„ Manufactured with each winding touching the
adjacent winding with a preset residual load

Plain end Plain and ground Squared Squared

and ground

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Fig. 8.3 Helical Extension springs Types of end hooks Helical Extension springs Types of end hooks

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Torsion springs Helical Compression Spring Design

„ To resist turning motion „ Outside diameter, OD

„ Left or right hand motion „ Inside diameter, ID
„ Mean diameter, Dm
„ Wire diameter, DW

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 Fig. 8.6 Helical Compression Spring Design Spring Rate
„ Free length, Lf „ Spring rate (k) is ratio of change in force to the
„ Solid length, LS change in length ∆F
k= Eq 8.1
„ Deflection, δ ∆L
„ Force (F) exerted by the spring is
„ F = k (Lf – Lo) Eq 8.2

„ Appendix 12 Standard spring selection

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Spring index
Spring „ Ratio of mean diameter of a spring to the wire from
animation which the spring is constructed
„ Spring index, C

Dm
C= Eq 8.3
DW
„ See Appendix 10 for wire sizes used

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Spring index Number of coils (Tab 8.1)

„ Low indices result in difficulty with spring Type of Free length Total Solid height
manufacture and in stress concentrations ends coils
induced by curvature. Plain PNa+DW Na DW Na+DW

„ Springs in the range 5 ≤ C ≤ 12 are preferred, Plain ground PNa Na DW Na

while indices less than 3 are generally Squared PNa+3DW Na + 2 DW Na+3DW
impractical.
Squared and PNa+2DW Na + 2 DW Na+2DW
ground

Na = Number of active coils; P = Pitch of coils; DW = diameter of wire

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3
 Pitch Spring materials
„ Number of coils per P
λ = tan −1 „ Steel
inch of length π Dm
„ Most common
„ Phosphor bronze
„ Cold wound for small size (<5/16 in)
„ Wound from hot rolled bar

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Types of Materials Spring materials

„ Hard drawn high carbon steel „ Stress relieving
„ Oil tempered high carbon steel „ Heated to 400 – 800º
800º F
„ Stainless steel „ Held for a period of time

„ Light-
Light-duty springs „ Shot peening
„ Copper or nickel based alloys

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Min tensile strength of Spring materials

Allowable stress
Allowable stress (LF) Q
„
Su = Eq 8.6
(D W )x
„ Q = expected ultimate strength of a 1 inch bar
„ x = factor (see Appendix 11)
„ LF = loading factor

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4
 Loading factor (LF) Spring Stresses
„ 0.405 – Light service: static loads or upto 10,000 „ Torsional shear stress Tc
cycles of loading with a low rate of loading SS =
J
„ 0.324 – Average service: Typical machine design
situations; moderate –rate loading and upto one „ A = wire cross sectional area
million cycles „ c = radius of wire cross section
„ 0.263 – Severe service: Rapid cycling above one „ J = polar moment of inertia
million cycles; impact loading; possibility of shock
„ D = diameter of wire π D4
J=
32
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Spring Stresses Spring Stresses

„ Torsional shear stress 16 T „ Torsional shear stress
SS = 8 F Dm
3 SS = Eq 8.8
π DW π DW
3

F
„ Peak stress is more because of the curvature
DD
mm
/2 effect
F Dm
T=
2

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Coil shear stress Wahl factor

„ A stress factor is developed by Wahl to
account for the the curvature.
„ A plot of this factor against the spring index, C
is shown in Fig. 8.8.

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 Wahl factor Spring Stresses
„ Spring sizing is based on

8 K F Dm (LF) Q
3 ≤ (DW )x
Eq 8.11
(4 C − 1) 0.615 π DW
K= +
(4 C − 4) C

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Example Problem 8-1: Spring Stresses Example Problem 8-1: Spring Stresses

• Design a helical compression spring for the following (Figure 8-8)

conditions:
– ¾-inch maximum outside diameter Dm .725 – .1
= = 6.25 Wahl ≈ 1.25
– 2 inches free length Dw .1
– 35-pound load at a ½-inch deflection
(Appendix 11)
• Assume severe service and S&G ends made from
music wire.
Q 190 ksi
• Try an outside diameter of .725-inch and solve for Dw. Su = =
Dw x Dw.154
• As many properties of the spring depend on the wire
size, often a wire size is assumed and then verified.
• Assume Dw = .1 for this first trial.
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Example Problem 8-1: Spring Stresses (cont’d.) Deflection of Springs

( LF ) = .263 (From Text: Severe Service)

Q K 8 F Dm „ Deflection of a spring is given by

( LF ) = (8-11)
D w .154 π Dw 3 8 F D 3m N a 8 F C3 N a
Dw 3 K 8 F Dm δ= = Eq 8.12
Dw.154
=
( LF ) π Q G D 4W G DW
Dw 3
= Dw 2.85 =
1.25 (8) (35) (.625) „ G = shear modulus of wire material (Table 8.2)
Dw.154 .263 π (190,000)
„ Spring rate, k is given by GD
4
Dw = .100
k= 3
W Eq 8.13
8 Dm Na
• Use U.S. Steel 12-gage wire. Dw = .105 (Appendix 10)

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Example Problem 8-2: Deflection of Springs and Spring Scale Example Problem 8-2: Deflection of Springs and Spring Scale
(cont’d.)

• Determine the number of coils necessary to meet the design criteria using − Find pitch:
the spring from the previous problem.
(Table 8-1)
8F Dm 3 Na
δ = G Dw 4
(8-12)
Lf = PNa + 2Dw

δ G Dw 4 2 = P 10.8 + 2(.105)
Na =
8F Dm 3
P = .166 in
.5 (11.85 x 106) (.105)4 in lb/in2 in4
Na =
8 (35) (.620)3 lb in3
− Find the spring rate for this spring:
Na = 10.8 (active coils) (8-13)

– Find total coils: G Dw4

k =
(Table 8-1) 8Dm3 Na
Total Coils = Na + 2
10.8 + 2 = 12.8 (total coils with squared and ground ends) (11.85 x 106) (.105)4 lb/in2 in4
k =
8 (.620)3 10.8 in3

k = 70 lb/in
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Fig. 8.9 Spring buckling graph with square and

Spring Buckling ground ends on a flat surface

„ When diameter is small compared to the length

spring buckling can occur.
Unstable

Stable

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Flat Springs Leaf spring

„ Can be in the form of a cantilevered beam,
simply supported beam or any other type of
beam

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 Example Problem 8-5: Flat Springs Energy Absorption
(Appendix 3)
bh3 12 in (1 in)3
I = = = 1 in4
• A diver deflects a diving board 4 12 12

inches. (Appendix 2) „ Elastic energy stored

FL3 Fδ
U=
• This diving board is made from δ = – 3EI
an aluminum plate 1 inch thick by
12 inches wide and 72 inches F =
3δ EI
L3
2
long.
4 in 3(10 x 106 lb/in2) 1 in4
• What is the force at this point? F = = 322 lb
(72 in)3

− Determining stiffness

F = kx or F = kδ

F 3EI
k = =
δ L3

10 x 106 lb/in2 1 in4

k = 3
(72 in)3

k = 80 lb/in
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Conclusions
„ Springs produce a large deflection and used for a
number of applications.
„ Most springs are made of steel.
„ Stress and deflection in coil springs was derived.
„ Springs can be connected in series and parallel.
„ There are a number of other spring configurations
used in engineering.

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