Machine Design and

Drawing (ME / MF F241)

BITS Pilani
Pilani | Dubai | Goa | Hyderabad
Dr. Nitin Kotkunde
 BITS Pilani
Pilani | Dubai | Goa | Hyderabad

Mechanical Springs

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O u t l in e
• Stresses in Helical Springs
• The Curvature Effect
• Deflection of Helical Springs
• Compression Springs
• Stability
• Spring Materials
• Helical Compression Spring Design for Static Service
• Critical Frequency of Helical Springs
• Fatigue Loading of Helical Compression Springs
• Helical Compression Spring Design for Fatigue Loading
• Extension Springs
• Helical Coil Torsion Springs
• Belleville Springs
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I n t r o d u cti o n

• Spring is a flexible element used in variety of structural applications.

• Springs allow controlled application of force or torque; the storing and release of energy can be
another purpose.

• Flexibility allows temporary distortion for access and the immediate restoration of function.

• In general, springs may be classified as wire springs, flat springs, or special shaped springs, and
there are variations within these divisions.

• Wire springs include helical springs of round or square wire, made to resist and deflect under
tensile, compressive, or torsional loads.

• Flat springs include cantilever and elliptical types, wound motor- or clock-type power springs, and
flat spring washers, usually called Belleville springs.
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St r e sse s i n H e l i ca l S p r i n g s

• Helical coil spring with round wire is mostly preferred for many applications.

• Equilibrium forces at cut section anywhere in the body of the spring indicates direct shear and
torsion.

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St r e sse s i n H e l i ca l S p r i n g s

• Torsional shear and direct shear

• Additive (maximum) on inside fiber of cross-section

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St r e sse s i n H e l i ca l S p r i n g s

• Spring index is measure of coil curvature.

• The preferred value of C ranges from 4 to 12.

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C u r va t u r e Effe ct

• The maximum shear stress equation is based on the hypothesis that spring deflection is straight
and there is no localized curvature effect.

• However, at many conditions, spring may not deflect always in straight manner and there is a
very high chance of curvature effect in a mechanical spring.

• The curvature of the wire causes a localized increase in stress on the inner surface of the coil,
which can be accounted for with a curvature factor.

• This factor can be applied in the same way as a stress concentration factor.

• For static loading, the curvature factor is normally neglected. However, for fatigue applications,
the curvature factor should be included.

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C u r va t u r e Effe ct

• Can account for effect by replacing Ks with Wahl factor or Bergsträsser factor which account for
both direct shear and curvature effect.

• The first of these is called the Wahl factor, and the second, the Bergsträsser factor.

• Since the results of these two equations differ by the order of 1 percent, Bergsträsser factor is
preferred.

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D e f l e cti o n o f H e l i ca l S p r i n g s
• Use Castigliano’s method to relate force and deflection

• Use Castigliano’s theorem to find total deflection

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En d s o f C o m p r e ssi o n S p r i n g s

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C o m p r e ssi o n S p r i n g s En d Typ e s

• Springs should always be both

squared and ground for important
applications, because a better
transfer of the load is obtained.

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C o m p r e ssi o n S p r i n g s En d Typ e s

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U ti l i ty o f h e l i ca l sp r in g s
• Square (or Closed) end helical springs are the least expensive and most widely used. However,
they tend to buckle under the load.

• Square end springs can be Ground to improve their utility. Square & Ground springs can be
placed accurately so that they don't buckle due to misalignment.

• Plain (or Open) end helical springs can be used in applications where less solid height is needed
or height tolerances are not very stringent.

• Plain end springs when not ground tend to entangle when stored in bulk & hence, at times, they
are ground for easy storage & avoid buckling as mentioned above.

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Se t R e m o v a l o r Pr e se tti n g

• Set removal or presetting is a process used in manufacturing a spring to induce useful residual
stresses.

• The spring is made longer than needed, then compressed to solid height, intentionally exceeding
the yield strength limit of a spring material.

• This operation sets the spring to the required final free length.

• Yielding induces residual stresses opposite in direction to those induced in service.

• 10 to 30 percent of the initial free length should be removed.

• Set removal increases the strength of the spring and so is especially useful when the spring is
used for energy-storage purposes.

• Set removal is not recommended when springs are subject to fatigue loadings.
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St a b i l ity o f S p r i n g s

• A column will buckle when the load becomes too large. Similarly, compression coil springs may
buckle when the deflection becomes too large.

• The critical deflection is given by the equation

• Where, ycr is the deflection corresponding to the onset of instability.

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St a b i l ity o f S p r i n g s

• The α is the end-condition constant.

• It accounts for the way in which the ends of the spring are supported.

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Ab so l u te S ta b i l i ty
• Absolute stability occurs when,

• This results in the condition for absolute stability

• For steels, this turns out to be

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Sp r i n g M a te r ia l s

• Springs are manufactured either by hot- or cold-working processes, depending upon the size of
the material, the spring index, and the properties desired.

• In general, pre-hardened wire should not be used if D/d <4 or if d> ¼ inch.

• Winding of the spring induces residual stresses through bending, but these are normal to the
direction of the torsional working stresses in a coil spring.

• Quite frequently in spring manufacture, they are relieved, after winding, by a mild thermal
treatment.

• A great variety of spring materials are available to the designer, including plain carbon steels,
alloy steels, and corrosion-resisting steels, as well as nonferrous materials such as phosphor
bronze, spring brass, beryllium copper, and various nickel alloys.
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R e l a ti o n s h i p b e twe e n s p r i n g i n d e x,
m a n u fa ctu r a b i l i ty a n d p r i ce :
• A spring is not likely to be manufacturable when the spring index is under 4.

• If your spring index ranges from 4.1 to 5.9 your spring may be manufacturable, but at a higher
cost due to the complications it implies.

• If your spring index ranges from 6 to 12, your spring has an ideal index and can be manufactured.

• If your spring index ranges from 12.1 to 15, your spring has a higher index and a difficulty grade
that makes it a bit harder to manufacture, but it’s not excessively complicated.

• If your spring index ranges from 15.1 to 25 it may still be manufacturable but at a higher cost.

• A spring index above 25 is very complicated and not likely to be manufacturable.

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Sp r i n g M a te r ia l s

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Sp r i n g M a te r ia l s

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Sp r i n g M a te r ia l s

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St r e n g th o f S p r i n g M a te r i a l s

• With small wire diameters, strength is a function of diameter.

• A graph of tensile strength vs. wire diameter is almost a straight line on log-log scale.

• The equation of this line is

• where, A is the intercept and m is the slope.

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To r si o n a l Yi e l d Str e n g th
•  
• Since helical springs experience shear stress, shear yield strength is needed for designing of
spring purpose.

• If actual data is not available, estimate from tensile strength.

• Assume yield strength is between 60-90% of tensile strength. 0.6

  𝑆 𝑢𝑡 ≤ 𝑆 𝑦 ≤ 0.9 𝑆 𝑢𝑡
• Assume the distortion energy theory can be employed to relate the shear strength to the normal
strength.

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M e ch a n ica l Pr o p e r t i e s o f So m e Sp ri n g W ir e s

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M a xi m u m Al l o w a b le To r si o n a l S tre sse s

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THANK YOU!

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