Composition and use of canted coil springs

A canted coil spring is a mechanical part that works by elasticity and is usually made of spring steel. It is used to control the movement of mechanical parts, reduce shock or oscillation, store energy and measure force, and it is widely used in machines and instruments. Spring types vary considerably.

Types and materials

By shape, springs are divided into disc springs, ring springs, leaf springs, coil springs, conical scroll springs and torsion-bar springs. Cylindrical coil springs are the most widely used because they are simple to produce and can be made in various configurations to suit the load conditions and structure.

A spring material needs high elasticity, good fatigue resistance, impact toughness and good heat-treatment performance. Commonly used spring steels include carbon spring steel, alloy spring steel and stainless spring steel, along with copper alloys, nickel alloys and rubber.

How springs are made

Springs are formed by cold coiling or hot coiling. For wire diameters under 8 mm, cold coiling is normally used; for wire larger than 8 mm, hot coiling is chosen. After forming, some springs are preset or shot peened to improve their load-bearing capacity.

Main functions of springs

The functions of springs can be summarized as follows. First, they adjust mechanical operations, such as valve springs in internal-combustion engines and clutch control springs. Second, they absorb the force of oscillation and impact, such as cushion springs under cars and rail vehicles and vibration-damping springs in couplings. Third, they store and release force as power, as in clock springs. Fourth, they are used as force-testing components, such as the springs in dynamometers and spring scales.

The spring rate is obtained by comparing the load-bearing capacity of the spring with its deformation. The higher the stiffness value, the harder the spring.