Different Types of Springs

In the structure of various equipment, elastic elements are used that have working forces that provide the necessary initial contact pressure to ensure hermiticity. As a rule, the function of elastic elements in seals is performed by springs made of metal wire. According to the method of applying force, springs can be divided into garter springs, compression springs, tension springs, and also into torsion and bending springs. Due to their design and technological features, the latter have not been widely used in seal assemblies.

In connection with this circumstance, in this article we will zero in only compression springs, which are used in units of various types of equipment and which are considered the most popular option for many.

For sealing rotary shafts with pressure differences of working area above 0.5 atm, end seals are widely used, as well as combined seals and their various modifications. In these seals, coil springs are used (or a set of these springs, which is typical mainly for seals for large diameters of shafts), conical springs and their modifications, and also, in some cases, wave compression springs. The latter are mainly applied in the seal assembly, where there are restrictions on the axial dimensions of the sealing chamber, i.e. on the installation length along the axis of the shaft.

Cylindrical compression springs are widely used in seals due to their simplicity of manufacture and linear operating characteristics. To increase the area of the contact surface, the support ends of the outer coils of the spring are always grinded, as a rule, with a total contact area of at least 75%. The grinded ends of the supporting coils of the spring should have the smallest deviation from the perpendicularity relative to the generatrix of this spring.

Compression springs, in addition to their primary function of providing the necessary preload force, can transmit a one-sided torque. Typically, the transmission of unidirectional torque is carried out from the rotating shaft due to the presence of leashes on the spring coils.

Interestingly, there are calculation methods of compression springs. At the same time, in some practical cases, the use of standard methods and calculation tables is not always acceptable. In this case, it is necessary to use the engineering methods of calculation of compression springs, which are corrected based on practical measurements of real springs while taking into account the material of the wire. When developing the designs of face seals, most companies apply their own engineering methods for calculating the characteristics of compression springs.

We hope you find this article helpful and you have been able to learn a thing or two about different types of springs and primarily about compression springs, which are so widely used today in different spheres. In addition, in case you are looking for a reputable company, which has quite a lot of experience in the field of spring manufacturing, we would like to strongly encourage you to order conical springs and other types of springs here.

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