Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
(OP)
Hi,
I have a piece of spring steel which I need to order some more of, the problem is that I don't know the grade or any information about it. Other than the size!
Is there anything I can do to try and figure out what grade it is? The only thing I could think of is to hold it and place a small known weight on it and measure the deflection, but I can't find anything to compare this against.
thanks
I have a piece of spring steel which I need to order some more of, the problem is that I don't know the grade or any information about it. Other than the size!
Is there anything I can do to try and figure out what grade it is? The only thing I could think of is to hold it and place a small known weight on it and measure the deflection, but I can't find anything to compare this against.
thanks





RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
TTFN (ta ta for now)
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RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
You can test its hardness to get an idea of the strength level. Depending on the strength there may be more than one option for heat treatment.
You will need a real chemical test (including C) in order to know the alloy though.
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P.E. Metallurgy
RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
Hardness plus a metallography could give you an idea of steel grade and heat treatment.
RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
https://amesweb.info/Materials/Youngs-Modulus-of-S... which references:
Metals Handbook. Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels, and High- Performance Alloys. ASM International, 1990.
RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
For spring work we always used 29.5e6psi, since that is the value for any high C steel at 200F.
Heat treat doesn't matter, but severe cold work (>40%) can raise it some.
For SS and low C steels we used 28e6psi.
If someone really cares I have the ASM handbook of elevated temperature properties and I can look them up by alloy and temp.
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P.E. Metallurgy
RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
2) The bottom line for spring design (barring corrosion resistance considerations) is the shape and the strength, as indicated by hardness. Processing is key to achieving uniform properties, freedom from surface discontinuities, and absence of decarburization.
3) Strength can be achieved with a variety of alloy compositions, but there are a limited number of steel grades that find application for springs. ASM Handbook provides good information.
4) Your application should dictate the design and alloy selection. I would begin by finding out what folks are using for similar equipment; i.e., what the industry standard is.
All you really need to do to characterize your sample is chemical analysis (not PMI) and hardness testing. Pay attention to final coating for corrosion resistance. The life cycle of a spring very often includes a corrosion pit, which acts as the initiation point for fatigue fracture (with fatigue fracture, discontinuities trump all other considerations).
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
RE: Spring Steel - how to work out what I have
PMI is NOT equivalent to chemical analysis, which is what is required here. You can search eng-tips for my previous rants on this subject.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."