A brief guide to spring design

Principles of spring design

Hooke’s Law is a principle of spring design relating to Load and Deflection. It states that a restoring force due to a spring is proportional to the distance
the spring is deflected and acts in the opposite direction. Another principle of spring design is Spring Rate (R), which is the ratio of force per unit of deflection. 
 
Spring design elements

Direction
of Wind – A coil spring can be wound in a left hand or right-hand direction, in the same way as a screw thread. The direction of wind, therefore, is a primary element
of spring design. This can be particularly important depending on how the spring will be used. For instance, when one spring is required to operate within another spring, the springs should be designed to
wind in opposite directions to avoid them becoming wound together. Or if the spring is to be screwed onto a threaded component it must follow the same thread direction.

Read the full article in the May issue of DPA