MECHANICAL SPRINGS

Spring is an elastic stored energy

machine element that when released,
will cover its basic form or
position. It is a device made of an
elastic material that undergoes a
significant change in shape, or
deformation, under an applied load.
USES OF SPRING
 1.Absorb energy or shock loads as in automobile
chassis springs and railroad bumper springs.
 2. Act as a source of energy as in clocks.
 3. Produce a pressure or force, as in maintaining
pressure between the friction surfaces or
clutches and as in keeping a cam follower in
contact with the cam.
 4. Absorb vibration.
 5.Act as a load measuring devices, as in spring
balances power dynamometers and instruments
such as gages, meters, and engine indicators.
TYPES OF SPRINGS
 1. Helical Springs are made up of wire
coiled in the form of helix and is primarily
intended for compressive or tensile loads.
The advantages of helical springs are: easy
to manufacture, available in wide range,
reliable, constant spring rate, the
performance can be varied by changing
dimensions.
 2. Conical and Volute Springs are used in
special applications where telescoping
spring or spring with a spring rate that
increases with the load is desired. (battery
contacts and push buttons)
 TYPES OF SPRINGS
 3. Torsion Springs maybe helical or spiral
type. The helical type maybe used only in
applications where the load tends to wind up
the spring and are used in various electrical
mechanisms. The spiral type is also used
where the load tends to increase the number
of coils and when made of flat strip are used
in watches and clocks.
 4. Laminated of Leaf Springs consist of a
number of flat plates of varying lengths held
together by means of clamps and bolts. The
major stresses produced in leaf springs are
tensile and compressive stresses.
TYPES OF SPRINGS
 5. Disc or Belleville Springs consist of a number
of conical discs held together against slipping by a
central bolt or tube. They are used in applications
where high spring rates and compact spring units
are required. The major stresses produced in disc
or Belleville springs are tensile and compressive
stresses.
 Types of Ends Coil Actual Solid Free
No. of Length Length
Coil

Ground End n nd np
Plain End n (n+1)d np + d
Squared & Ground End n+2 (n+2)d np + 2d
Squared End n+2 (n+3)d np + 3d
Spring System

 a. Series System

 
Spring System

 b. Parallel System

 
 Table 13-2 Properties of common spring material, page 317
 Table 13-1 strength of oil-tempered steel wire, page 316
Of design of machine member 4th edition by Doughtie and Vallance
 Table AT 16
 Table AT 17 by Faires
Sample Problems
A helical spring deflects an amount of 35 cm
when 150 kg load hits it from maximum height
of 4 meters. Using a spring index of 8,
maximum induced stress and shear modulus of
elasticity of 3850 kg/cm2 and 810,000 kg/cm2.
Find the following:
A. wire diameter
B. mean coil diameter
C. Number of active coils
Sample Problems
A safety valve spring as shown has a total
number of coils of 8.5 has ends squared and
ground and the free length is 201 mm. if the
outside diameter of the coil is 120 mm and wire
diameter is 12mm, calculate the following:
A. The length at which spring must be initially
compressed to hold a pressureof 1.40 Mpaon a
valve seat of 30 mm in diameter
B. The maximum stress in which the spring will
be compressed to its solid height
Sample Problems
Two concentric helical spring is arranged to
carry 100 kN. The smaller spring has an outside
diameter of 110 mm with 12 active coils and is
made of 20 mm diameter steel spring. The
larger outer diameter od 250 mm with 10 active
coils and is made of 32 mm steel spring. Before
the load is applied, the outer spring is 30 mm
longer than the inner spring. Compute the
spring rate of each spring and the portion of the
total load carried by each spring. Use G= 80
Gpa