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Helical Springs Notes

Notes on Solid and structural mechanics

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44 views4 pages

Helical Springs Notes

Notes on Solid and structural mechanics

Uploaded by

ogwenojoshua1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Springs

Springs are elastic members which distort under load and regain their original shape when load is
removed. They are used in railways, carriages, motorcars, scooters, motorcycles, e.t.c. According to their
uses, the spring perform the following functions.

(i) To store energy as in clock springs.


(ii) To apply forces to and to control motions as in brakes and clutches.
(iii) To measure forces as in spring balances.
(iv) To change the variations characteristics of a members as in flexible mounting of motors.
The springs are usually made of either High carbon steel (0.7 to 1.0%) or medium carbon alloy steels.
Phosphorus alloys are used for corrosion resistance springs.

Various types of springs are employed for different purposes some of them are as follows.

1. Helical springs

(i) Closed – coiled helical springs.


(ii) Open – coiled helical springs.
(iii) Tension helical springs.
(iv) Compression helical springs.

2. Leaf springs. (Second Semester)

(i) Full elliptic.


(ii) Semi- elliptic.
(iii) Cantilevers

3. Torsion springs.
4. Circular springs.
5. Belleville springs.
6. Flat springs.

Helical springs
Helical springs are the thick spring wires coiled into a helix. They are of two types:

(1) Closed - coiled helical springs.


(2) Open coiled helical springs.

Closed – Coiled Helical Springs.

Closed – coiled helical springs are the springs in which helix angle is very small or in other words the
pitch btw two adjacent turns are small. A closed – coiled helical spring carrying an axial load is shown in
fig 3. As the helix angle in case of close – coiled helical springs are small, hence the bending effect on the
spring is ignored and we assume that the coils of closed – coiled helical springs are to stand purely
torsional stresses.
Expressions for maximum shear stress induced in wire.

Fig 3 shows a close – coiled helical spring subjected to an axial load.

Let

d = Diameter of spring wire


p = Pitch of the helical spring
n = Number of coils
R = Mean radius of the spring coil
W = Axial load on spring
C = Modulus of rigidity
 = Max. shear stress induced in the wire
 = Angle of twist in spring wire
L = Length of wire
Now twisting moment on the wire

T = W × R …………(i)

but twisting moment is also given by


T  d 3 …………...(ii)
16
Equating equations (i) and (ii) we get

 16W  R
W R  d 3 or  
16 d 3
This equation gives the max. shear stress induced in the wire.
Expression for deflection of spring

Now length of one coil = D  2R

∴Total length of wire = length of coil × No. of coils or L  2R  n

As every section of the wire is subjected to torsion, hence the strain energy stored by the spring due to
torsion is given by

2
u  V strain energy stored in a body due to torsion 
4c

∴ strain energy stored by the spring,

2
u  Volume
4c

1  d 2 
2
 16W .R 
 3 
    2R.n 
 d  4c  4 

 16WR d 2 
NB   and volume   Total length of wire 
 d 3
4 

32W 2 R 2 32W 2 R 3 .n
 .R.n 
Cd 4 Cd 4
1
Work done on the spring = Average load × Deflection  W 
2

1 32W 2 R 3 .n
Equating the work done on spring to the energy stored, we get W . 
2 Cd 4

64WR 3 n
 
Cd 4

Expression for stiffness of spring

The stiffness of spring,

S = load per unit deflection

W W Cd 4
  
 64.WR 3 .n 64.R 3 .n
Cd 4
NB

The solid length of the spring means the distance between the coils when the coils are touching each
other. There is no gap between the coils. The solid length is given by

Solid length = No. of coils × Dia. of wire = n × d

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