Unless one is conducting technical research, it is advisable to purchase them from established companies since they are essential parts used to oppose compressive loads as well as store energy in several mechanical systems. These are present in several sectors such as automotive, aerospace, electronics and manufacturing industries among others. Materials used in the fabrication of a compression spring has to be selected carefully since it will determine the overall efficiency of the spring as well as how long it will last and where it is to be used. It is now high time that we advance further on the materials most frequently employed in the construction of Compression Spring manufacturer and the characteristics affecting their choice.
- High Carbon Steel
High carbon steel can be regarded as one of the most utilized materials in the production of compression springs. It is made of iron with higher content of carbon making it hard and strong enough as compared to other materials. This material is normally used where the spring has to be subjected to high stress as well as load before it deforms.
Advantages: However, high carbon steel springs can be easily procured, hence making them cheaper in the market. They possess good resistances to abrasive wear and hence can be used in applications that demand higher resistance to wear and tear.
Disadvantages: The high carbon steel has one big disadvantage that is it is easily corroded especially in conditions that are humid or corrosive. Hence these springs are frequently supplied with or need post treatments to improve or improve their corrosion protection.
Common applications: Most automotive suspensions, heavy duty machinery, and agricultural equipment use high carbon steel springs .
- Stainless Steel
The last type of material used in compression springs is stainless steel; it’s popular where the main requirement is corrosion resistance. This material contains chromium and the chromium reacts with the environment thus creating a tailored oxide layer on the surface, this means that rust and corrosion cannot penetrate through this material.
Advantages: These products do not rust easily since they are made from stainless steel wire mesh and hence suitable for use in places that come into contact with moisture, chemicals or those that require the use of high temperatures. They also retain their strength and flexibility over a large range of forty temperatures , offering favourable mechanical properties.
Disadvantages: Essentially, stainless steel is usually more expensive compared to high carbon steel and this leads to the increase in cost of the spring. Also, some kinds of stainless steel may be inferior to high carbon steel of the same size in terms of load bearing capacity, consequently, one would end up needing larger or considerably thicker springs to achieve a required load bearing capability.
Common applications: Stainless steel springs are especially applied to medical facilities, food industries, marine service, outdoor facilities, and so on.
- Alloy Steel
Alloy steel means steel that contains one or more additional elements other than carbon including chromium, molybdenum or vanadium amongst others. The compression springs are made from alloy steel and they prove to be a good compromise between strength, hardness and the ability to be able to withstand wear.
Advantages: Alloy steel springs are highly tensile and fatigue; these features make them suitable to be used in areas where the springs are likely to undergo heavy cyclic stresses. It also means that they are capable of withstanding higher temperatures than the carbon steel springs.
Disadvantages: Similar to high carbon steel, alloy steel springs also have inherent problems of corrosion and in most cases, they are coated or plated to increase their useful life in corrosive circumstances.
Common applications: Claddings are the product of joining two metals from two different groups of metals where one or more of the metals has a higher percentage of alloy content, These are mainly used in aircraft, automobiles, and industries requiring durable and high strength springs.
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- Phosphor Bronze
Phosphor bronze is an alloy of copper containing tin as well as phosphorus. Phosphor bronze is an alloy of copper which contains both tin and phosphorus. This material is particularly rich for its performance in: corrosion as well as electric as well as frictional resistance.
Advantages: These springs are made of phosphor bronze that offers high resistance towards wear, fatigue, and corrosion; it therefore can survive in marine environments or where chemicals are involved. They also possess decent electrical conductivity to make them very appropriate when used in electrical and electronics products.
Disadvantages: Thus, phosphor bronze has a high cost compared to carbon and stainless steel and can be therefore used only for specific purposes. Also, it bears lower strength than that of steel and therefore it might necessitate the use of bigger springs to give the same strength of pulling.
Common applications: Used in electrical contacts, marine hardware and instruments where ad preferable combinations of corrosion and electrical conductivity are needed, phosphor bronze springs are made using copper alloyed with 0. 1% phosphorous.
- Beryllium Copper
The beryllium Copper is also categorized as the high-performance copper beryllium allegory possessing properties such as high strength, good electrical conductivity, and high fatigue resistance.
Advantages: The beryllium copper springs are strengthening and conductive with a great resistance to corrosion and thus can be used in critical use applications. They are also non ferromagnetic, thus appropriate to be used in applications involving electronics or magnetic fields.
Disadvantages: The only disadvantage, one that concerns all those using beryllium copper is cost: this is one of the most expensive materials to use in compression springs. Also, the procedure of manufacturing may be longer and more complicated because of an incorporation of beryllium, a hazardous material.
Common applications: Beryllium copper spring can be classified under high strength, high conductivity, high stiffness, and excellent fatigue resistance and is therefore widely used in aerospace and telecommunication application and other respective high performance electronic gadgets.
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Conclusion
Materials have a great influence on the performance of the compression springs, their reliability and the niche in which they can be used. It has been ascertained that high carbon steel and stainless steel are preferred quite frequently as material because of the strength endurance and corrosion resistance they offer. However, for certain applications, materials such as phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, titanium and Inconel are used to meet certain requisite such as high strength, light weight or to withstand harsh environments. Knowledge of properties and uses of these materials could enable one come across the right material to use while designing a compression spring for it to work efficiently and for longer period.