Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Springs

Outline

Configurations of springs

Stress in springs

Static and fatigue loading in springs

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 Mechanical Engineering

Configurations of springs

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Mechanical Engineering Spring index
Spring index C : the ratio of mean coil diameter D to wire diameter d.

C= D/d

4 C 12
at C< 4, difficult to manufacture,
at C>12, prone to buckling.
L0

Di , the inside diameter of the coil

Do , the outside diameter of the coil
L0 , the free length of the spring - the overall length
under unloaded condition.

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Mechanical Engineering Spring rates
Spring rate k : the slope of force-deflection curve of the spring.

If that slope is constant, it is a linear spring and k can be defined as:

k = F/y.
where F is the applied force and y is the deflection.

For Helical Springs:

d 4G
k=
8D 3 N a

G: shear modulus
Na: number of active coil

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Mechanical Engineering Spring rates
Spring rate for :
Springs in Series
Springs in Parallel

1
= ktotal =
ktotal
1 1 1 k1 + k 2 + k3
+ +
k1 k 2 k3

1 1 1 1
= + + ... + ktotal = k1 + k 2 + ... + k n
ktotal k1 k 2 kn
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Mechanical Engineering
Stability of Helical Compression Springs

1
D 2( E G ) 2
L0 <
2G + E

Please refer to Table 10-5 for E and G of some

spring wires
End conditions determine critical
buckling situations.

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Mechanical Engineering
Stress in Helical Springs

8 FD
max = KB
d 3
4C + 2
KB =
4C 3
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Mechanical Engineering
Fatigue loading in Helical Compression Springs

Size, material, and tensile strength have no effect on the endurance limits
(infinite life only) of spring steels with size of less than 10mm in diameter.

The
Thecorresponding
correspondingendurance
endurancestrength
strengthcomponents
componentsfor
forinfinite
infinitelife
life
are:
are:
(by
(byZimmerli)
Zimmerli)

Unpeened:
Unpeened:
SSsa ==241
241MP
MPa a SSsm ==379
379MP
MPa a
sa sm

Peened:
Peened:
SSsa ==398
398MP
MPa a SSsm ==534
534MP
MPa a
sa sm

The torsion modulus of rupture Ssu is estimated as:

S su = 0.67 Sut
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Mechanical Engineering
Fatigue loading in Helical Compression Springs
The torsion modulus of rupture Ssu is estimated as:

S su = 0.67 Sut

A
S ut = m
d

Table 10-4

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Mechanical Engineering
Fatigue loading in Helical Compression Springs

Helical springs are usually assembled with a preload so that the working load is
additional.

a
r
max a 8 Fa D
a = KB
min
m d 3

Fmax Fmin 8 Fm D
Fa = m = KB
2 d 3
Fmax + Fmin
Fm = 4C + 2
2 KB =
4C 3 10
Mechanical Engineering
Example
Problem:

An as-wound helical compression spring, made of music wire, has a

wire size of d = 2mm, an outside coil diameter of D0 =15mm, a free
length of L0 = 115mm, number of active coil Na = 21, and both ends
squared and ground. The spring is unpeened. This spring is to be
assembled with a preload of 20N and will operate with maximum load
of 100N.

a) Estimate the safety factor guarding against fatigue failure using a

torsional Goodman failure criterion with Zimmerli data.

b) Check the spring stability.

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Mechanical Engineering
Example
Solution:
a) Estimation for safety factor nf:

The mean coil diameter of the spring

D = Do d = 15mm 2mm = 13mm

The spring index is

D 13
C= = = 6.5
d 2

Then

4C + 2 4 6.5 + 2
KB = = = 1.217
4C 3 4 6.5 3
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Mechanical Engineering
Example
Solution:
The alternating force: Fmax Fmin 100 20
Fa = = = 40 N
2 2
The midrange force: Fmax + Fmin 100 + 20
Fm = = = 60 N
2 2
The alternating shear-stress component:
8 Fa D 8 40 13
a = KB = (1.217) = 201MPa
d 3
( 2) 3

The midrange shear-stress component:

8 Fm D 8 60 13
m = KB = (1 .217 ) = 302 MPa
d 3
( 2) 3

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Mechanical Engineering
Example
Solution:
The ultimate tensile strength is estimated from:
A
Sut =
dm
From Table 10-4:
A = 2211MPa mm m m = 0.145

Therefore, A 2211
Sut = m = 0.145 = 1999.6 MPa
d 2

The shearing ultimate strength is estimated from:

S su = 0.67 Sut = 0.67 1999.6MPa = 1340 MPa

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Mechanical Engineering
Example
Solution:
The Goodman failure criterion with the Zimmerli data is:
S sa S sm
+ =1 Zimmerli
Zimmerlidata
datafor
forunpeened
unpeenedsprings:
springs:
S se S su SSsa ==241
sa
MP
241 MPa a
SSsm ==379
379MP
MPa a
sm
Then,
S sa 241
S se = = = 336MPa
1 S sm S su 1 379 1340
400

Therefore,
300
S_Se (MPa)

200

100

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
S_su (MPa) 15
Mechanical Engineering
Example
Solution:
The initial shear-stress component:
8 Fi D 8 20 13
i = KB = (1.217) = 101MPa
Then, d 3
(2) 3

400

300

(349.4, 248.4) S sa 248.4

Ssa
nf = = = 1.24
a 201
S_Se (MPa)

200
sa

100

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
248.4 MPa S_su (MPa)
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Ssa
Mechanical Engineering
Example
Solution:
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b) Check the spring stability: D 2( E G ) 2
L0 <
2G + E
From Table 10-5,

for music wires of d = 2 mm, E=196.5GPa, and G=81.0 GPa

From Table 10-2 to find End-condition constant :

for both ends squared and ground, = 0.5

1 1
D 2( E G ) 13
2 2(196.5 81) 2

= 2 81 + 196.5
2G + E
0.5
= 65.6mm L0 (115mm) Not Absolutely Stable
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Mechanical Engineering
Summary

Configurations of springs

Spring index C , Spring rate k

Critical length of spring

Maximum stress in compression springs

Static and Fatigue loading on compression springs

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