SPRINGCALCULATIONS
To Calculate Coil Spring RateRATE= (9909 x material dia. x material dia. x material dia. x material dia.) divided by (no. of active coils x mean dia. x mean dia. x mean dia.)
Mean dia. = I.D. + material dia. All measurements are in millimetres Result is in N/mm To convert answer to Kg/mm = N/mm x 0.10192
To Calculate Coil Spring StressSTRESS= (2.545 x rate(N/mm) x required travel x mean dia. x Wahl factor) divided by (material dia. x material dia. x material dia.)
Mean dia. = I.D. + material dia. C: (spring index) = mean dia. / material dia. Wahl factor = (C+0.2) / (C-1) All measurements are in millimetres Results is in N/mm / MPa Stress not to exceed 827 N/mm / MPa
Please note these formulas are provided as a guide only. Industrial Engineers & Spring Makers (Sales) Pty. Ltd provides no guarantee to their accuracy.
Testing a spring For a constant rate spring, that is exactly how you test the rate. You must check the rate between 20 and 80 % of the total possible deflection range. The deflection range is the range from the free length to the solid length. Example: Free Height: 10 inches Solid Height: 5 inches Deflection range would be from 10-5 = 5 inches. Rate must therefore be checked at heights between 9 inches and 6 inches. Load at 8.5 inch height: Load at 7.5 inch height: Rate = = = = 15 Lbs 25 Lbs
Difference in Load / Difference in Length (25 15) / (8.5 7.5) 10 / 1 10 Lbs / Inch
Hope this explains it to you. Any further questions, just mail them to us. Kind Regards, Daniel Shepard. Managing Director. W H Rooke & Co.
Technical Information
Technical Information
The number of coils The number of coils in tension springs varies with commercial production as follows: Number of Coils Tolerance 3 to 5 6 to 8 9 to 12 20 30 40
For each additional coil, add 1 per coil. Springs can be built to closer tolerances by trimming after coiling, with additional cost. Example Load Tolerances: The load tolerances for tension springs are listed in the above table. For example of how to use these, let us take a spring of the following dimensions: Free Length 4.050"; Mean Dia. .390"; Wire Dia. .048" to give a load of 3.5lb when extended .900". D d = .390" .048"
First we calculate the index or h f
=8
Secondly we calculate that D d
4.050" .900"
= 4.5 h f
Find
= 8 on the table, take the adjacent
= 4.5.
Where the line 4.5 intersects with the column of wire dia. of .048" we get a figure of 10.1%. This is the load tolerance of the above example. Convert 10.1% to 3.5 lb. which gives a tolerance of 5.6 oz. at .900" deflection.
A-D
Active coils (na): Coils that are free to deflect under load. Angular relationship of ends: Relative position (in degrees) of the plane of the hooks or loops of extension springs to each other. Baking: Heating of electroplated springs to relieve hydrogen embrittlement. Closed ends: Ends of compression springs where the pitch of the end coils is reduced so that the end coils touch. Closed and ground ends: Same as closed ends except the end coils are ground to provide a flat surface. Close-wound: Coiled so that adjacent coils are touching. Deflection (F): Motion of spring ends or arms under external load (P).
E-L
Free angle: Angle between the arms of a torsion spring when no load is applied. Free length (L): Overall length of a spring when no load is applied. Helix: The spiral shape of compression, extension and torsion springs. Hooks: Open loops at the end of extension springs. Hydrogen embrittlement: Hydrogen absorbed in electroplating of carbon steels causing the spring material to become brittle, leading to cracking and spring failure. Initial tension (Pi): The force that causes the coils of extension springs to stay together and which must be overcome before the coils begin to open. Load (P): The force applied to a spring that causes deflection. Loops: Closed hooks at the end of extension springs.
M-P
Mean coil diameter (D): Outside diameter (O.D.) of a spring minus one wire diameter (d).
Open ends, not ground: End coils of a compression spring having the same pitch as the body of the spring. Open ends ground: Same as open ends except the end coils are ground to provide a flat surface. Passivating: The treatment of stainless steel springs with acid to remove contaminants and improve resistance to corrosion. Permanent set: A condition that comes from deflecting a spring beyond the elastic limits of the material; the spring does not return to its original condition when the load is released. Pitch (p): The distance between two adjacent active coils measured from the center of the wire of each coil. Preset: To remove permanent set prior to application installation.
R-T
Rate (R): Change in load per unit of deflection, usually in pounds per inch. Remove set: The process of deflecting to solid height a spring which has been coiled longer than the requested finished length, so as to increase the apparent elastic limit. Solid height: Length of a compression spring when it has been deflected enough to allow each adjacent coil to touch each other. Spring index: Ratio of the mean coil diameter (D) of a spring to its wire diameter (d). Squared and ground ends: See Closed and ground ends. Squared ends: See Closed ends. Stress relieve: The heat treating of springs at a temperature so as to relieve stresses. Torque (M): A twisting action in torsion springs equal to the load multiplied by the distance (or moment arm) from the load to the axis of the spring body. Total coils (Nt): The active coils (Na) plus the number of coils forming the ends.