×
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

Helical Spring Design - Calculating "true" wire length

Helical Spring Design - Calculating "true" wire length

Helical Spring Design - Calculating "true" wire length

(OP)
I'm finding different formulas in different places, but I would like to find the one that is generally accepted as correct.  I know it's not just:

pi * (mean dia) * (# of coils)

Because this doesn't take into account the horizontal travel.  Can someone help me out?  Thanks!

RE: Helical Spring Design - Calculating "true" wire length

Hi keyser456

To get the developed length of the spring you need to develop the length of the helix, this can be done if you know the lead of the helix ie the axial length along the cylinder the wire travels in one turn and the diameter of the spring coils. From here you just use trignometry and the total length of wire in one turn will be:-

   a^2 = b^2+c^2

   let c = the lead of the helix

       b = circumference of the spring coil

so a= sqroot[b^2+c^2]

hope this helps

regards desertfox

RE: Helical Spring Design - Calculating "true" wire length

keyser456,

You can also use the equation for the arc length of the curve.

The link:
Eric W. Weisstein. "Arc Length." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ArcLength.html

Provides the equations for arc length in Cartesian & polar coordinate systems.

Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"Luck is the residue of design."
Branch Rickey


Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Helical Spring Design - Calculating "true" wire length

Machinery's Handbook has detailed step by step design for all types of springs with tables and curves.  It is very thorough.

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

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