The application in which the spring is utilized determines how long it will last. The life of the spring is affected by several variables, including force, the environment, and materials. Since springs are an essential part of every project assembly, it is crucial to specify springs in a way that will maximize their lifespan.

Failure of spring is fraught with hazards and involves various risks. Some of the most common causes of spring failure include exceeding the spring's maximum safe travel or maximum safe load. If your spring has a low number of coils or a tight index of coils, it may be under a lot of pressure, putting it at risk of not compressing as much as you want.

In order to properly pick the springs that will deliver the highest performance and spring life for your application and project, we have developed the following top tips.

The less stress, the better because it is fatal.

We are all aware of the significance of stress and its detrimental effects on our lives. But guess what? It also poses the biggest risk to the well-being of spring. By selecting a larger wire diameter or employing a lower-end load, engineers can increase spring life by giving the spring more room and lowering peak stress levels.

The spring will be well supported and work well within its stipulated capacity if the design of the component is carefully considered to reduce internal stresses, such as by eliminating short radii or complex shapes.

reduced stress through prestressing

The prestressing procedure extends the life of springs and maintains their life cycle. To use greater solid stresses in the spring, prestressing is an additive manufacturing procedure that raises the torsional elastic limit.

The load-bearing capacity and stress resistance of the spring can both be enhanced through prestressing, which will also increase the fatigue life and service life of the spring.

minimize resonance

Reaching the ideal frequency seems like a fantastic concept, but with springs, maybe not so much. If a spring moves at the same pace as its natural frequency, it echoes. Low vibrations caused by this can break the spring if it happens. Make sure the operating frequency is no more than one-third of the natural frequency to prevent this and maximize spring life.

lessen the stress loads

When a load is dropped from a large height, for example, the weight of the load may increase rapidly or accelerate. The force applied to the spring at a faster rate makes the load heavier and more damaging to the spring. All in all, this leads to performance degradation, equipment damage, and high replacement costs.

The likelihood of wear, coil collisions, non-axial forces, and dynamic loads increases with the number of times spring is subjected to shock loads. These factors all shorten the maximum spring life, independent of the kind of spring.

As vibration-dampening mechanisms, friction components such as internal damping coils, peregrine falcons, housings, or other spring components are frequently employed. To lessen and steer clear of these impacts, combination springs and variable pitch springs are occasionally utilized.

Utilize quality materials

For effective design and optimum spring life cycle optimization for long-lasting performance, the choice of spring material is essential. There are a variety of spring materials and coatings that offer exceptional strength and durability while keeping their shape and structure in a wide range of temperatures. For the nuclear and offshore industries, they can even be non-corrosive, so they are suitable for these harsh environments.

For specific applications, you can ask our team of specialists at KENENG if increasing the material's quality grade or its stretch range will lengthen the spring's useful life.

keep cool

In high-temperature applications, since the stress is constant over time, the loss of spring load—or more commonly, spring relaxation—occurs faster and can lead to permanent deformation. Lowering the operating temperature reduces the chance of spring slack, maximizing spring life.

shot peening

Shot peening is a method of extending spring life by creating beneficial compressive residual stresses. The idea is to make it stronger and more resistant to lethal stress. Additionally, shot peening can extend the life cycle of working springs by 5 to 10 times compared to unpeeled springs. Some of the benefits of shot peening include:

To prevent corrosion

Prevents cracking due to wear

prevent hydrogen embrittlement

increase fatigue strength

help us help you

At KENENG, we are committed to manufacturing and designing a large number of custom springs according to your requirements using different materials and providing protective and decorative finishes according to your requirements.

We are incredibly proud of our highly skilled team and engineers, which is why you should contact us today so we can help you find the right spring for your project.