Compression Springs (Range of wire 0.3mm to 16mm)
This type of Spring encompasses Parallel, Conical, Variable Pitch and Barrel Springs.
As a small very efficient form of energy storage, they are used in most applications, due to their ease of manufacture and relatively low associated costs. Their simple design allows them to be manufactured in very high quantities, with short lead times. They are commonly used in such components as Actuators, Valves, compensation applications, suspension, and most mechanical handling devices. A wide range of spring quality materials can be used in their manufacture for various conditions of stress, as well as corrosion properties. In general, their envelope lends itself to most coating processes.
Compression Springs represent the bulk of springs manufactured by RSM, and we have a wealth of experience of design, development, and sampling of this product, as well as production of all volumes.
Key parameters when specifying a compression spring are the conditions under which it is to operate, i.e., the cycle life required, working stroke required, the required working envelope dimensions as well as the working environmental conditions (atmosphere, temperature, fatigue requirement). Defining these at the outset, allows fundamental considerations to be employed prior to commencing any design work, such as material type, stress levels, fatigue, and surface finish specification.
Parallel Compression Springs: These are generally the springs which most people envisage when a spring is discussed. They are used in a huge wide range of general engineering applications. They are easily specified and when in their simplest parallel form, provide a nearly linear working rate throughout most of their operational range.
Conical Compression Springs: These springs are generally used where a solid length is critical. Conical springs have the ability to make the designer produce a stable spring, but the spring rate must be defined over a certain linear range, as the rate will vary according to how much the spring is compressed. Usually, larger diameter is compressed prior to the small end being compressed to solid. By shaping the profile of the spring (Barrelling or Wasting), a different rate profile characteristic can be produced.
Variable Pitch Springs: By varying the pitch of individual coils within the spring design, a parallel compression spring can be made to exhibit differing rate profiles through the compression cycle. As coil pitches becomes compressed, some pitches can be made to become coil-bound decreasing the active coils, and therefore increasing the spring rate. By altering the number of active coils, the spring rate profile can be designed to alter as the spring is operated. Great care must be made when designing to ensure that the spring does not become overstressed at the more open-pitched ends. It must be understood that the spring rate can be increased with compression, but never decreased.
Barrel Springs: A type of compression spring where the end diameters are smaller than the middle of the spring. This is usually employed where the customer requires stability of the design to guard against buckling, or sometimes for aesthetic reasons. Again, the profile of the spring can be made to alter to allow a section of spring to compress first. It may also be altered to alter the harmonics of the spring to avoid oscillation, this combined with pitch change and diameter change etc can be used to break up vibrations which can occur within a spring due to its own mass.