For those familiar with spring design, A.M. Wahl's "Mechanical Springs" is still considered to be the consummate resource for the design of springs. The text is a rather complete mathematical explanation of all factors related to spring design as well as examples....
I had the fortune, early in my career, to be mentored by a meticulous German engineer named Horst Pimmler. Mr. Pimmler was the founder of Monticello Spring Corporation and had a way to classify everything. His way of classifying compression springs made it possible to...
As I think of subjects to write about, I try to stay with typical issues that come up on a weekly basis. One subject that comes up frequently is material changes. It's fairly common for customers to alter a design by changing material types to improve temperature...
One of the daily challenges for springmakers/coilers is the adjustment needed to yield nominal rate. As all spring manufacturers know, the only bill of material for a spring is the material used to make the part. That very material has a list of properties that vary...
In the article titled “Rate Formula – For Those With Calipers,” I gave the example of the math needed to determine the rate of a submitted spring sample. With a few physical dimensions, we were able to calculate the rate. Our example had the following dimensions: d...
Many times, I have received samples instead of a blueprint for quoting purposes. It is common to slip out to the QA department and have the spring tested for rate. However, there is another way to calculate the spring rate if you have a set of dial calipers handy....
There are many concepts that require understanding to be successful in Engineering. As with any discipline, there are many axioms that are privy to a given field, such as spring design. One of the most misunderstood of those principles is the easy math behind...
A compression spring is defined as a mechanical device that produces a force when deflected and returns to its original height, ready to deliver the next repeat stroke and associated force. To accomplish this feat, the spring must produce a spring rate—a given amount...
Of all the things engineers solve in their careers, the most challenging is material fatigue and breakage. No matter what product a customer markets or the level of sophistication and imagination echoing through their halls, the question is the same … “why did the...