×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

How to model a working spring.

How to model a working spring.

How to model a working spring.

(OP)
I have access to SW 2016 and a brand new powerful computer.

I'm modeling a retractable landing gear for a very large scale model airplane. The task is to show how it functions. So far I've got it all operating within its limits but I'd like to show how a couple springs really move. I've never really had occasion to do this and I've been away from SW for a while.

I can model the helical spring but I'd like to animate it. So how do I do this?

RE: How to model a working spring.

This Youtube video shows from spring creation to the animation procedure. Outside of an actual animation, I believe you have to rebuilt to get the spring to change its length to match the current geometry.

RE: How to model a working spring.

I saw this concept done at SWW2013 in Orlando. Here is my own version of a spring that moves with its parts in an assembly. An actual helical spring cannot be animated due to the lengthy calculations required, however, if you want something that looks like a spring would look this is about as easy as it gets.

- - -Updraft

RE: How to model a working spring.

(OP)
I couldn't get the zip file to open. I'm not very fluent with Dropbox. However I did get the YouTube to work. Pretty slick. I'll have to give it a test.
Thanks for the help.

Byron

RE: How to model a working spring.

SW Motion generates graphical representations of springs. This may suit your needs.

RE: How to model a working spring.

Here is a spring model that I created.

to modify it to your requirements:
1) manage equations for:
spring dia, centerline
wire dia
and active coils

2) configure location of the plane named "other end of spring" to give the spring length for its:
free length
installed, max length
and installed, min length

3) if you do not want ground ends: suppress the "Cut-Extrude1" feature

RE: How to model a working spring.

(OP)
Pretty slick!
I'll try a simple model before I put it in a complicated assembly.

Thanks
Byron

RE: How to model a working spring.

I haven't played with this model lately but I did want to figure out how to mate the "Top Plane (end of spring)" and the "other end of spring" plane to my assemble and have it continuously update the variable associated with the location of the "other end of spring" plane. Then if the mating parts have a max min distance mate you could drag that component to it limits and have the spring update. THAT will be slick

RE: How to model a working spring.

(OP)
Thanks for the help.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources