Faculty of Engineering (Mechanical Department)

SPRINGS
Chapter 5

Name: Ms K Thjane
Office: Room 167 BHP
Email: [email protected]
WHAT IS A SPRING
 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Before you start with this unit, you should be able to do

the following:

 Determine the modulus of rigidity of a material.

 Derive and apply the torsion formula.

 Draw a free-body diagram.

 Apply the conditions for static equilibrium.

 WHAT IS A SPRING

 A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical

energy.
 Springs are mechanical devices that accept a weight
or force from one object to absorb the energy and to
prevent the surface from being damaged.
 Springs are usually made out of spring steel.
 There are a large number of spring designs.
 In everyday usage the term often refers to coil
springs.
WHAT IS A SPRING
 WHAT IS SPRING

 Under tension or compression, the material (wire) of a

coil spring undergoes torsion.
 The spring characteristics therefore depend on the
shear modulus, not Young's Modulus.
 A coil spring may also be used as a torsion spring: in
this case the spring as a whole is subjected to torsion
about its helical axis.
 CLOSE-COILED HELICAL
SPRING

 It will be assumed that the torsion formula (4.3) is

applicable to this problem. Hence the equations derived in
this chapter will be approximate since the torsion formula
was established for straight shafts.

 It also follows that the equations should only be used on

springs manufactured from round wire (see par. 4.1).
 The spring is assumed to be close-coiled so that the
plane of each coil of the spring is perpendicular to the
line of action of the applied load.
 Hence it may be assumed that the spring is subjected
to pure torsion and that the effect of the bending
moment and shear force in the wire is negligible.
 Maximum shear stress

Let the close-coiled helical spring shown in the figure have a

mean coil diameter D and a wire diameter d,
and let there be free coils.
The spring is subjected to an axial load W.
The torque at any section through the wire be
T = axial load × radius of the coils.
 Maximum shear stress

T
 Deflection and strain energy
• The length of wire that will be subjected to the
torque caused by the application of an axial load
is equal to the length of wire in each coil
multiplied by the number of coils.
• ∴ Length of wire l = πDn.
• From equation 4.2, the total angle of twist over
this length of wire,
Deflection and strain energy

(5.2)
 Deflection and strain energy
• An alternative method
that may be used to
derive this equation is by
considering the strain
energy in the wire when
it is subjected to an axial
load.
• Consider the load-
extension graph of an
elastic material in the
figure.
 Deflection and strain energy
• If a load W causes an
extension δ, then the
work done in stretching
the material, termed the
strain energy U, is
represented by the
shaded area under the
load-extension graph.

• (5.3)
 Deflection and strain energy
• Substituting the values of δ and W from
equations 5.1 and 5.2 into 5.3.

∴ (5.4)
 Deflection and strain energy

∴ (5.5)
 Deflection and strain energy
• and substituting for T

(5.6)
 Deflection and strain energy
• From equation 5.6, the strain energy,

∴ (5.7)
 Proof load
• The greatest load which the spring can carry
without exceeding the elastic limitis termed
the proof load.
• Hence no load lighter than the proof load will
cause any permanent elongation of the spring.
• When a spring is subjected to the proof load,
the induced shear stress in the spring is
termed the proof stress.
 Proof resilience
• The energy stored in a spring when it is
subjected to the proof load, is termed the
proof resilience.
• Let τp be the shear stress at the elastic limit of
the spring material, then:

• (5.8)
 Stiffness of a spring
• The stiffness S of a spring is the load required
to cause unit deflection of the spring.

Inserting the values of W and δ into the

equation, and from equation 5.2.

(5.9)
 Example 5.1
• A close-coiled helical spring has a mean coil
diameter 10 times the diameter of the wire and a
load of 3,5 kN causes a deflection of 75 mm and a
• maximum stress of 400 MPa. Calculate the:
• (a) wire diameter;
• (b) mean coil diameter;
• (c) number of coils;
(d) energy absorbed when subjected to the
• maximum load;
(e) stiffness of the spring (G = 80 GPa).
Solution
Solution
Solution
Solution
 Example 5.2
• A close-coiled helical spring made of 5 mm
diameter steel wire has a solid length (i.e. when
the coils are touching) of 65 mm.
• The stiffness is 6,5 kN/m. Calculate the:
• (a) mean diameter of the coils;
• (b) stress induced for a deflection of 20 mm;
• (c) work done in extending the spring 20 mm (G
= 80 GPa).
Solution
Solution

(1)

(2)
Solution
 Compound springs
• The method of axially loaded members used
in chapter two will be applied here in
compound spring analysis.
• We will consider two cases,
• 1) Springs joined in series.
• 2) Springs in parallel.
 Springs joined in series
• For the two springs (1 and
2) joined in series, if Wl,
and W2 are the loads
carried by springs 1 and 2
respectively as shown in
the figure ,and δl and δ2,
are the resulting
deflections, then:
• δTOT = δl + δ2 (5.10)

• W1 = W2 = W (5.11)
 Springs joined in series
• If Ul and U2 are the strain
energies in springs 1 and 2
respectively, then:
• UTOT = U1 + U2 (5.12)

Let S be the stiffness of the

compound spring and Sl and
S2 the stiffness of springs 1
and 2 respectively.
• Dividing 5.10 by the applied
load W
 Springs joined in series

∴ (5.13)
 Example 5.3
• A composite spring has two close-coiled helical
springs connected in series. One spring is made of
steel with a mean coil diameter of 20 mm, a wire
diameter of 2 mm and has 15 coils. The other spring
is made from bronze with a mean coil diameter of 25
mm and a wire diameter of 2,5 mm, and has 10 coils.
•
Calculate:
• (a) the stiffness of the composite spring;
(b) the greatest load that can be carried by the
composite spring if the maximum allowable stresses
are 250 MPa and 150 MPa in the steel and bronze
 Example 5.3
• (c) the corresponding extension; and
• (d) the strain energy in the composite spring
(GST = 80 GPa and GBR = 40 GPa).
Solution
 Solution
• (b) From equation 5.1, the greatest load the
steel spring can carry:

From equation 5.11, the greatest load the

composite spring can carry is 36,815 N.
Solution
Solution
 Springs in parallel
• Consider the two parallel
springs of equal length in the
figure.
• W = W1 + W 2 (5.14)

• δ1 = δ2 = δTOT (5.15)
• 5.15 is applicable only if the
free lengths or the deflection
of the two springs are equal.
• Then, 5.2 should be used to
calculate Wl and W2 which
may then be substituted into
5.14.
 Springs in parallel
• UTOT = U1 + U2 (5.16)
• Dividing equation 5.14 by
δTOT

and substituting equation

5.15
Springs in parallel

(5.17)
 Example 5.4
• Two compression springs consisting of
identical materials are arranged one inside the
other, and by means of rigid cover plates are
subjected to a force of W newton in the
centre.
• (a) Calculate the number of turns of the inner
spring if the maximum shear stress induced is
the same in both springs.
 Example 5.4
• (b) If the allowable shear stress is 450 MPa, what is
the maximum value of the force W?
• (c) What will the maximum deflection under this
force be?
• (d) Calculate the maximum strain energy in the
compound spring.
• The particulars of the two springs are as follows:
outer spring – mean coil diameter 120 mm, wire
diameter 12 mm with 12 coils; inner spring – mean
coil diameter 90 mm, wire diameter 10,125 mm
(G = 80 GPa).
 Solution
• (a) Let the maximum stress in the inner and
outer springs be τi and τO respectively, then:
• τi = τO (given) and substituting equation 5.1.

(1)
Solution
 Solution
• (b) Consider the outer spring. From equation
5.1 the maximum load the outer spring can
carry:
Solution
Solution
 Example 5.5
• A compound spring consists of two steel
springs that are arranged one inside the other.
The outer spring has a wire diameter of 4 mm
and a mean coil diameter of 40 mm. The inner
spring has a wire diameter of 3 mm, a mean
coil diameter of 30 mm, 10 coils and is 5 mm
shorter than the outer spring.
• Calculate:
 Example 5.5
• (a) the stiffness of the compound spring if the
deflection caused by the load is (i) less than 5
mm, and (ii) more than 5 mm;
• (b) the number of coils in the outer spring if a
load of 82 N compresses the compound spring by
12 mm;
• (c) the maximum shear stress in each spring;
• (d) the strain energy stored in the compound
spring when subjected to a load of 82 N
(G = 81 GPa).
 Solution
• (a) The inner spring will be compressed by
12 – 5 = 7 mm.
• From equation 5.2, the load required for this
deflection
 Solution
• From equation 5.14, the load that will
compress the outer spring by 12 mm
 Solution
• (i) Only the outer spring will be active if the
deflection is less than 5 mm. Thus the stiffness
of the compound spring is equal to 5,061 kN/m.
• (ii) Both springs will be active if the deflection is
more than 5 mm, thus from equation 5.17 the
stiffness of the composite spring
 Solution
• (b) From equation 5.2, the number of coils on
the outer spring
 Solution
• (c) From equation 5.1, the maximum shear
stress in the outer spring
 Solution
• (d) From equation 5.16, the total strain energy
stored in the spring when it is subjected to a
load of 82 N