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2020
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Spring
A spring is a mechanical part that works by utilizing elasticity. Parts made of elastic materials deform under external forces,
and return to their original shape after the external force is removed. Also known as "spring." Generally made of spring steel. Springs come in various types, classified by shape,
mainly including helical springs, torsion springs, leaf springs, and special-shaped springs.
Development Origin Edit
History of Springs
Like most other basic mechanisms, metal springs have existed since the Bronze Age. Even wood was used as a structural component for flexible bows and military catapults.
During the Renaissance, precise clocks made the development of precision springs inevitable.
The 14th century saw the development of revolutionary astronomical navigation with precise clocks. The exploration and conquest of the world by European colonial powers continued to provide momentum for the
clockmakers' "science and art." Another field of firearms drove the development of springs. As the Industrial Revolution approached in the 18th century, there was a demand for large,
accurate, and inexpensive springs. Given that clockmakers' springs were often handmade, the mass production of springs was made from piano wire or similar materials.
Manufacturing methods made springs ubiquitous. Computer-controlled wire and sheet metal bending machines allow for the customization of springs, which is clearly a specialized machinery. A spring is merely an energy storage device; it has the function of storing energy but cannot release it slowly.
Springs, compression springs, tension springs, torsion springs, clamp tower springs.
To achieve the function of slow release, it should rely on "spring + large transmission ratio mechanism," commonly found in mechanical watches.
Springs have been used for a very long time; ancient bows and crossbows are two broad examples of springs.
The inventor of the spring should strictly be considered the British scientist Robert Hooke,
although helical compression springs had already appeared and were widely used at that time, Hooke proposed "Hooke's Law"—the extension of a spring is proportional to the force applied to it. Based on this principle, in 1776, the spring scale using helical compression springs was introduced.
Soon after, springs specifically made for clocks based on this principle were also invented by Hooke himself. Only springs that conform to "Hooke's Law" can be considered true springs. The disc spring, invented by the Frenchman Belleville, is a washer-type spring made from metal sheet or forged blank with a truncated conical cross-section. After the emergence of modern industry, in addition to disc springs, new types of springs such as gas springs, rubber springs, coil springs, mold springs, stainless steel springs, air springs, and shape memory alloy springs also appeared.
Industry Pattern For the spring industry, there has long been a passive situation of oversupply of low-end ordinary springs and a shortage of high-end products (high strength, high stress, special materials). The output of China's spring industry has approached saturation; according to experts, the annual production of springs in China has reached 4 billion pieces, with 21 major categories and over 1600 varieties of spring products, mainly including valve springs, suspension springs, diaphragm springs, shock absorber springs, hydraulic springs, oil pump springs, disc springs, high-temperature springs, retaining rings, tension springs, torsion springs, compression springs, coil springs, and special-shaped springs. The spring industry developed relatively quickly during the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" and "Ninth Five-Year Plan" periods, especially in regions like Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shandong, Changchun, and Chongqing, while other regions also developed to varying degrees, overall performing better than other industries. The development of industries such as automobiles, motorcycles, electric vehicles, internal combustion engines, and instruments will drive the development of the spring industry. Facing the macroeconomic situation, the long-standing contradictions of low product quality, loose organizational structure, and weak development capabilities in the industry have become more prominent. From a deeper perspective, the main issues lie in the market, system, and mechanism. Industry insight researchers believe that as the national economy shifts from a seller's market to a buyer's market, some deep-seated contradictions, especially the structural contradictions accumulated over the years, have become increasingly prominent. The current unreasonable industrial structure is manifested in: overcapacity in some industries, unreasonable product structure; unreasonable technological structure, with low equipment levels in major industries; small and scattered enterprise organization scales, lacking competitive strength and advantages, and regional structures tending to be homogeneous, failing to reflect comparative advantages and collaborative benefits.
Development
Although the spring industry is a small sector within the entire manufacturing industry, its role is absolutely indispensable. The country's industrial manufacturing and automotive industries need to accelerate development, and as one of the basic components, the spring industry needs to have a forward-looking development phase to adapt to the rapid development of the entire national industry. Additionally, the expansion of the scale and variety of spring products, as well as the improvement of quality levels, are also necessary for the renewal of mechanical equipment and the enhancement of supporting mainframe performance. Therefore, the development of the entire national industry plays an important role in spring products. The daily consumer goods and hardware industries, including lighters, toys, locks, door hinges, fitness equipment, mattresses, sofas, etc., have the largest demand for springs in terms of quantity, amounting to hundreds of billions of pieces, with low technical requirements and very low prices, generally produced by small spring factories scattered across the country, which have unique cost advantages that large spring factories find difficult to compete with. This has also led to the emergence of new spring enterprises. In the future, market demand is expected to grow at a rate of 7% to 10% per year. After China joined the WTO, the export volume of daily hardware products has significantly increased, driving the demand for springs, but it is also affected by the international market demand and trade barriers, making the international market uncertain.
Elasticity Formula Edit
F=kx, where F is the elastic force, k is the stiffness coefficient (or rigidity coefficient), and x is the length of the spring when stretched (or compressed). Example 1: Using a force of 5N to stretch a spring with a stiffness coefficient of 100N/m, the spring is stretched by 5cm. Example 2: When a spring is subjected to a pulling force of 10N, its total length is 7cm; when subjected to a pulling force of 20N, its total length is 9cm. What is the original length and the force when stretched by 3cm?
Structural Classification Edit
According to the nature of the force, springs can be divided into tension springs, compression springs, torsion springs, and bending springs. By shape, they can be classified into disc springs, ring springs, leaf springs, coil springs, conical spiral springs, and torsion bar springs, among others. Based on the manufacturing process, they can be divided into cold-wound springs and hot-wound springs. Ordinary cylindrical springs are widely used due to their simple manufacturing process and the ability to be made into various types based on load conditions, with a simple structure. The materials used for springs generally should have high elastic limits, fatigue limits, impact toughness, and good heat treatment properties. Common materials include carbon spring steel, alloy spring steel, stainless spring steel, as well as copper alloys, nickel alloys, and rubber. The manufacturing methods for springs include cold winding and hot winding. Springs with a wire diameter of less than 8 mm are generally made using the cold winding method, while those greater than 8 mm use the hot winding method. Some springs may also undergo shot peening or shot blasting after production to enhance their load-bearing capacity.
Springs can be divided into the following 6 categories:
1. Torsion springs are springs that bear torsional deformation, and their working part is also tightly wound into a spiral shape. The end structure of torsion springs is processed into various shapes of torsion arms, rather than hooks. Torsion springs utilize the principle of leverage, twisting or rotating elastic materials that are soft and have high toughness to generate significant mechanical energy. 2. Tension springs are spiral springs that bear axial tensile forces. When not under load, the coils of a tension spring are generally tight against each other without gaps. 3. Compression springs are spiral springs that bear axial compressive forces, and the cross-section of the materials used is mostly circular, with some made from rectangular and multi-strand steel coils. The springs are generally of equal pitch, and the shapes of compression springs include cylindrical, conical, convex, concave, and a small number of non-circular shapes. There is a certain gap between the coils of compression springs, and when subjected to external loads, the spring compresses and deforms, storing deformation energy. 4. Progressive springs use a design with inconsistent thickness and spacing, which helps absorb road surface undulations when pressure is low, ensuring ride comfort. When pressure increases to a certain level, the thicker parts of the spring support the vehicle body. However, the downside of this type of spring is that the handling feel is not direct, and the precision is poor. 5. Linear springs have a consistent thickness and spacing from top to bottom, with a fixed elasticity coefficient. This design allows the vehicle to achieve a more stable and linear dynamic response, aiding the driver in better vehicle control, commonly used in performance-oriented modified cars and competitive vehicles, though it does affect comfort. 6. Short springs are shorter than factory springs and are more robust.
Air spring
Air spring
Sturdy, installing short springs can effectively lower the vehicle's center of gravity, reduce body roll during cornering, making cornering more stable and smooth, and improving vehicle handling in turns. However, the damping setting of factory shock absorbers tends to favor comfort, so the combination of short springs and factory shock absorbers is not very stable. It cannot effectively suppress the rebound and compression of short springs, leading to an uncomfortable bouncing sensation when driving on bumpy roads. Over time, the lifespan of the shock absorbers will be significantly reduced, and there may also be oil leakage. Of course, these situations are relative; daily driving will not cause such severe damage, and it is best to avoid aggressive driving, as factory shock absorbers cannot withstand high loads.
Torsion spring
Torsion springs (torsion springs) utilize the principle of leverage, twisting or rotating elastic materials that are soft and have high toughness to generate significant mechanical energy.
Torsion spring
It is a spring that bears torsional deformation, and its working part can be tightly wound or loosely wound. The end structure of torsion springs is processed into various shapes of torsion arms, ranging from single twist to double twist, and various forms of torsion rods, depending on the design. Torsion springs are commonly used in balancing mechanisms in machinery and are widely applied in industries such as automotive, machine tools, and electrical appliances.
Compression spring
Compression springs (compression springs) are spiral springs that bear axial compressive forces. They are generally divided into equal pitch springs and variable pitch springs. The shapes of compression springs include cylindrical, conical, convex, concave, and a small number of non-circular shapes. There is a certain gap between the coils of compression springs, and when subjected to external loads, the spring compresses and deforms, storing deformation energy. Variable pitch springs are becoming increasingly common, no longer limited to just equal pitch springs, as they can perform different functions in various environments.
Compression spring
Carbon nanotube spring
Carbon nanotube springs can have diameters of up to hundreds of micrometers and lengths of several centimeters. Their fibrous structure has broad application prospects, with potential uses in stretchable conductors, flexible electrodes, micro strain sensors, supercapacitors, integrated circuits, solar cells, field emission sources, and energy-dissipating fibers, providing possibilities for the fabrication of visible carbon nanotube electronic devices. They also hold promise for applications in medical devices, such as tension-sensing bandages. This new structure can also be developed into multifunctional carbon nanotube fiber composite materials for utilization.
Tension spring
Tension springs (tension springs) are spiral springs that bear axial tensile forces, generally made from round cross-section materials. When not under load, the coils of a tension spring are generally tight against each other without gaps. They work by utilizing the rebound force (tensile force) after being stretched, used to control the movement of mechanical parts, store energy, measure force, etc., and are widely used in machines and instruments. Their hook forms include side hook tension springs, long hook tension springs, British hook tension springs, German hook tension springs, semi-circular hook tension springs, duckbill hook tension springs, etc., with materials including stainless steel, piano wire, high carbon steel, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, and oil-tempered alloy spring steel.
Air spring is a spring that uses compressed air in a flexible sealed container, utilizing the compressibility of air.
Air spring
Spring
A type of non-metallic spring that currently functions elastically can be roughly divided into two types: bag-type and membrane-type. Air springs have excellent elastic properties, and when used in the suspension systems of high-end vehicles, they can greatly improve the smoothness of the vehicle, thereby significantly enhancing the comfort of vehicle operation. Therefore, air springs are widely used in automobiles and railway locomotives. In addition, due to many advantages of air springs compared to ordinary steel springs, they are also applied in some mechanical equipment and precision instruments.
Spring, Jiyuan City Xinglian Industry, quenched steel wire, hot-rolled spring, large spring
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