Improve the Performance of Your Machine With Conical Springs

 

Springs are used in the manufacturing process of many different types of machines. They are necessary parts of automobiles and different types of tools. If you are designing or producing a product that uses springs, you may be aware of how crucial these simple components can be. While there are different types of springs available on the market, you may produce a better quality product by using conical springs.

Useful in minimal solid height space

Because the spirals on conical springs gradually increase in size, they are able to be compressed almost completely flat. The coils with a smaller diameter will nest or telescope into the coils with a larger diameter. This gives them an advantage over traditional compression springs in situations where there is not much space allowance between parts. When compressed, conical springs have a solid height of between one and two wire diameters, but are still able to maintain a variable pitch and constant spring rate. Their ability to be so tightly compressed also provides more room for the spring to travel.

Provide greater stability

Triangle or cone shapes are known as the most stable of the shapes due to their extremely low center of gravity.  The chance that your springs will buckle under whatever amount of pressure applied is greatly reduced when conical springs are used compared to normal compression springs. They also provide better lateral stability under shifting pressures.

Limit the effects of vibration

The release of a spring as well as activities from other moving parts in a machine can cause resonance and vibration in the spring itself. The uniform pitch of conical springs allows any vibration to have an increasing natural period at the bottom of each coil as opposed to the constant vibration that occurs in  regular compression springs. This effect reduces the amount of vibration in the conical spring which can have a tremendous impact on the overall quality of the results produced by your machine.

Offer an increasing force rate

The uniform diameter of compression springs give them a constant force rate. While there are benefits to this type of spring, a constant force rate can limit the amount of travel they are able to produce. On the other hand, the steady increase in diameter of the coils in conical springs enable the larger coils to bottom more gradually under pressure. This means that compressing a conical spring can provide an increased force. The design of conical springs allows you to fit a taller spring in a smaller solid height space, which will also enable you to get more force out of the spring.

You may need to use several different types of springs in the same machine in order to achieve the results you were looking for. Compression springs and conical springs are just two of many types of springs that you can use to enhance the performance of your machine. It can be helpful to know the details of how each type of spring works and their benefits before deciding which one to use. That being said, there are so many advantages to using conical springs that they are definitely worth your consideration no matter what type of machine you design.