Spring
A spring is an elastic object that stores mechanical energy. Springs are typically made of spring steel. There
are many spring designs. In everyday use, the term often refers to coil springs.
When a conventional spring it exerts an opposing force approximately proportional to its change in length (this
approximation breaks down for larger deflections).
Springs are made from a variety of elastic materials, the most common being spring steel. Small springs can
be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after
fabrication.
The modern theory of elasticity generalizes Hooke's law to say that the strain (deformation) of an elastic object
or material is proportional to the stress applied to it.
A spring is an elastic object that stores mechanical energy and releases it when the opposing force is
removed.
An extension spring is a coiled spring whose coils normally touch each other; as a force is applied to stretch
the spring, the coils separate. In contrast, a compression spring is a coiled spring with space between
successive coils; when a force is applied to shorten the spring, the coils are pushed closer together.
Constant Force Springs
Self explanatory by its name, a constant force spring requires nearly the same force, no matter how long the extension.
Constant force springs are also called clock springs.
Flat Springs
Flat springs come in all sorts of sizes and shapes : spring washers, PCB spring contacts are examples of flat springs.
What is Hooke’s Law?
Robert Hooke was a British physicist who stated that there is a proportional relationship between the force
required to extend or compress a spring, and the distance that the spring is extended or compressed. This
relationship is expressed by the equation
F = kx
where F is the force, k is the spring’s stiffness (a constant), and x is the distance. The spring constant (k) is a
function of the material’s properties, coil thickness, and the number of turns in the coil.
WHY ARE SPRINGS PERFECT FOR AIRCRAFTS
One of the main reasons that springs are a perfect fit for aircraft is their ability to withstand a huge amount of
pressure
Die springs are often referred to as a ‘high force compression spring’.
Part of the secret behind high force die springs is the use of rectangular wire instead of circular wire, and these
incredibly robust springs can withstand temperatures of up to 200°C, used within clutches, brakes and various
forms
WHERE ARE SPRINGS USED IN AIRCRAFTS?
Seat Backs – The most commonly used spring in seatbacks on commercial airliners is the literature
spring.
Overhead Lockers – Without springs, overhead lockers would be quite dangerous. When you release
the hook to open the locker, you’ll notice that the locker door releases at a slow speed; this is due to
the clips and springs manufactured by companies like European Springs Ireland.
Onboard Ovens – To withstand the extreme pressure of being 38,000 feet in the air, and being subject
to high temperatures, spring brackets and spring clips used in aircraft ovens are made from high spec
materials such as 17/7PH stainless steel and 316S42.
Aircraft Doors – As one of the most important safety features on board any commercial airline, any
materials which are included in this particular part of the aircraft need to be manufactured to the very
highest quality possible.
Spring Materials:
Hard drawn wire: These are general purpose spring, where we need low-temperature resistance
and low stress we can use these types of spring material.
Stainless Steel: Nowadays stainless steel is widely used in making of spring.
Phosphor Bronze: These types of spring are used in Electrical industry due to the material have
good electrical conductivity and good resistance to corrosion
Chrome Silicon: This type of spring can be used in high temperature up to 250-degree celsius.
Chrome Vanadium: These types of spring have good thermal conductivity up to 220-degree
Celsius and also has good fatigue resistance.
Graphite epoxy: It is used in high strength spring such as leaf spring.
Carbon epoxy: It is made of carbon fibre, and have the ability to bear a high load, this material is
also used in high strength applications like automobile, and locomotive.
Advantages of Spring:
These are the following advantages of spring:
Produce a good cushioning effect.
Spring has a good shock-absorbing ability.
It has high durability.
Spring has the ability of stored energy inside it.
It is easy to design and cheaper to produce.
Spring is a maintenance-free device.
Disadvantages of Spring:
A Spring has this following disadvantage:
Day by day its loose it shape and stability.
Sometimes when the axial load of the spring is increased, it produce the buckling phenomena.
If spring is broken then it is hard to repair.
So as of now, we saw the types, applications and some of the other things. These are the basic things related
to Mechanical Spring. I hope you liked this article, if so then don’t forget to share this article among your
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