Spring Calculation

I am not promoting this site, neither dissing it, however the video of spring manufacture is more than interesting also look at the FAQs where spring design / specification is explained. Ps, click on the UK flag for English

**LINK**

BobH

I find an old copy of Machinery's Handbook more useful, it even gives you good starting points for mandrel size/finished diameter for a wide range of gauges of piano wire.

Wasn't there an article in MEW sometime ago about springs, spring winding and calculations for achieving the required force, or have my grey cells finally petered out ?

A comprehensive series by Linton Wedlock in MEWs 234, 235 and 236.

Neil

Hi,

For small (model sizes) springs, the "standard" formulae do not work as they tend to be based on simple torsion rather than a helix

"The Model Engineer's Handbook" by Cain, or "Spring Design And Manufacture" (same author) are your friends in this task

All the best,

Ian

There was also a 10 part series in ME by Tubal Cain on spring calculations. It started in 1986, Vol. 157, #3783 an ran to 1987, Vol. 159, #3807. While I don't have his book from the Workshop Series I suspect that a lot of the material is the same.

John

If you don't fancy designing and winding your own springs, Peterborough Society of Model Engineers members used to use Vincent Springs, who were fairly local.

I found designing springs frustrating. Since having arrived at a spring that would fit into the space, (Open and closed ) with the required rate, and provide the load, only to find that the wire would be overstressed. The next iteration would be within the stress, but would not fit; and so on. So found it quicker and easier to pass the job over to the experts!

Not too long ago, there was a good series on spring design, using graphs, in M E W, which would be useful.

Howard.