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Heavy Duty Springs: Overview, Types & Applications
While the definition of heavy duty compression springs may vary depending on the specific spring, heavy duty compression springs generally are larger and sturdier than most typical springs. As such, heavy duty springs are fabricated from thick metal wires of high-strength materials, offering robust and durable performance under such loading and use conditions.
Heavy duty springs are often engineered to meet specific loading requirements, ensuring durability and longevity even under high load magnitudes. Among other places, they are found in sizeable industrial equipment and construction machinery.
One key characteristic of a heavy duty spring is the Spring Rate, which describes the stiffness of a spring by citing the force (lb.) required to compress the spring by a given distance (in.). Heavy duty springs have a higher spring rate than typical springs, requiring large forces to deform the helical coils. In this way, the term “high spring rate” spring is sometimes used to refer to all types of heavy duty springs generically.
When shopping for heavy duty springs of all types, it’s vital to carefully perform all spring stress calculations to ensure that the spring is not over-stressed in its application. This is because equipment and industries in which heavy duty springs are used are demanding, requiring careful design attention to ensure your spring operates reliably.
Explore Our Heavy Duty Springs Range
The best way to shop for stock heavy duty springs is by filtering our interactive catalog by the maximum spring rates available for each spring type. You can also sort by the largest wire diameter, outer diameter, and maximum rated load to find heavy duty springs that fit your application.
Custom Heavy Duty Compression Springs
We offer custom heavy duty spring design and manufacturing services if you can’t find the heavy duty spring in the size and spring rate you need within our expansive catalog. Standard heavy duty spring customization options include large wire diameters, high-performance materials, additional surface finishes, and customized heat treatments.
Additionally, die springs are a type of heavy duty compression springs characterized by a rectangular wire cross-section. The rectangular cross-section increases the spring's strength and enhances its stability during compression, providing exceptional shock absorption capabilities. As such, these springs are exclusively used in production tooling equipment.
Custom Heavy Duty Spring Manufacturing Capabilities
Century Spring combines state-of-the-art manufacturing tools with in-house design expertise to create custom heavy duty compression spring solutions engineered to withstand the heaviest loads and most abusive environments.
Our custom manufacturing services include extensive design for manufacturability (DFM) expertise and comprehensive prototyping and tooling assistance, both of which have enabled our industrial customers to quickly test unique solutions to design challenges.
Our cutting-edge computational equipment, simulation and testing techniques, including CNC compression self-monitoring and coiling machinery, enable us to deliver durable and reliable products in a wide range of custom sizes and styles. We also have dedicated, high-speed machines that can quickly scale high-quality spring production processes to large part volumes.
Our team will work directly with you to create, refine, and optimize spring designs to fit specific tolerance and performance design requirements. We are ready to partner with you today to bring your high-strength, heavy duty compression springs to life.
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Heavy Duty Compression Spring Information & Resources
Heavy Duty Compression Spring Applications
Heavy duty compression springs are used in applications where heavy loads are present, either from the weight of surrounding machinery and components or as a result of significant dynamic impacts. Most noticeably, they are used in the suspension systems of both compact cars and large commercial vehicles, such as trucks or buses. Aircraft landing gear assemblies also utilize high-temperature-resistant materials in heavy duty compression springs. These springs serve as the primary force and shock-absorbing components during landing and takeoff. They are also found in various shock-absorbing components of heavy construction equipment, like excavators and bulldozers.
These large compression springs offer significant shock absorption capabilities, enhancing passenger comfort while ensuring safe load distribution of shock loads.
A subset of traditional heavy duty compression springs, die springs are specifically designed for use in manufacturing equipment, such as dies and production tooling. These springs feature rectangular cross-sections instead of circular wire diameters.
How to Select a Heavy Duty Compression Spring
Generally, a heavy duty compression spring is defined by two notable geometric properties: The Outer Diameter (OD), which is usually much larger than that of a standard compression spring. The second is the compression spring’s Wire Diameter, which refers to the thickness of the metal used to form the helical coils.
The Spring Rate of heavy duty springs measures the resistance of the spring to compression forces. This property is a function of the wire diameter and the Mean Diameter of the spring. It is calculated by dividing the loads your spring must absorb by the allowable spring compression for your application.
You can use the spring rate of a heavy duty compression spring to calculate the deflection under design loading conditions. In general, the spring rate of heavy duty springs is significantly higher than that of standard springs, and this property is fundamental in the design of heavy duty compression springs, as they are designed to accommodate large loads.
Another important feature of note for manufacturability purposes for custom heavy duty springs is the Spring Index. Defined by the ratio of the Mean Diameter to the wire diameter of the spring, this calculation provides a quick assessment of the spring's overall manufacturability. This parameter is crucial for heavy duty springs because they are fabricated from large wire diameters that are more difficult to form.
Finally, consider the operational environment of your heavy duty compression spring and determine whether additional corrosion or temperature resistance is required. You should also evaluate whether cyclic loads are present in your application to determine the fatigue life your spring needs. To address these and other concerns, high-strength materials and surface treatment options are available for your heavy duty compression springs.
Typical Tolerances
Spring tolerances depend on the exact spring type and geometry. As such, we have performed extensive empirical studies, which we have used to develop tolerance equations for different manufacturing techniques. We have combined these with the best industry standards to create general tolerance ranges for heavy duty springs. However, these calculations can be very involved, so we have integrated them into our design and manufacturing automation software.
However, if you contact our design team today, we will be happy to walk you through these calculations and provide general tolerance values for your spring type and geometry.
FAQs About Heavy Duty Compression Springs
What makes a compression spring “heavy duty”?
While there is no textbook, standard definition, heavy duty compression springs are defined by a few key distinguishing features. The wire diameter that forms the helical coil is fabricated from comparatively thick metal wires of high-strength materials. To accommodate larger wire diameters, heavy duty compression springs feature large outer diameters. These features provide robust and durable performance under large, dynamic shock loads.
How can I extend the life of my heavy duty compression spring?
In general, you can enhance the longevity of your spring by considering these design factors.
- Optimize your Design: To minimize spring stress during deformation, consider using a smaller spring with larger wire diameters or explore ways to reduce the design loads of your application.
- Consider Material and Environmental Protection: Select suitable materials and treatments that are compatible with specific environmental conditions.
- Cyclic Loading: If your application does have significant dynamically oscillating loads, you should check to ensure that the operating frequency is significantly lower than the spring's natural frequency to avoid resonance issues
What material should I choose for my heavy duty compression springs?
Common heavy duty spring materials include high-carbon steel (such as music wire), oil-tempered steel, chrome silicone, and stainless steel. You should first consider your application’s loading requirements, followed by the corrosion and temperatures of your application, to determine a suitable material for your heavy duty spring.
How do I calculate the spring rate I need for my heavy duty compression springs?
In simplest terms, you can calculate the spring rate you need for your heavy duty compression spring application as follows.
Where P is the working load that your spring must absorb, and f is the available deflection of your mechanism, representing the compression of the spring that you can accommodate. In this manner, the spring rate is defined as the load required to compress the spring by 1.0 inch, typically measured in pounds per inch (lb/in).
The larger the force required to compress the spring a given distance, the larger the spring rate. For example, a heavy duty compression spring with a spring rate of 300 lb/in requires 300 lb to compress the spring by 1.0 in.
The spring rate is also defined by the geometric and material properties of the spring, such as wire diameter, mean diameter, and the number of active spring coils.
For more information, see our standalone What is the Spring Rate explanation.
Do I need a custom design?
Standard heavy duty springs are readily available in a variety of sizes and specifications. However, if you require a custom-designed, heavy duty spring with a large spring rate that is not listed in our catalog, please call us at 800-237-5225 or complete our Custom Quotation Form today.
Why Choose Century Spring
Our Commitment to Quality and Service
As the most trusted name in spring manufacturing, Century Spring is a quality-first, ISO 9001 and AS9100D certified supplier of spring and wire form products, specializing in both stock and custom springs. We offer rapid delivery on over 40,000+ stock springs, available to ship today, because we understand the importance of meeting your design scheduling constraints.
Our experienced product engineers, knowledgeable product quality team, and skilled manufacturing personnel always deliver the highest quality products to you faster than our domestic and international competitors.
Our products are always made in the USA.
Innovation and Customization in Spring Manufacturing
Century Spring combines state-of-the-art manufacturing tools with in-house design expertise to create custom medical spring solutions engineered to withstand any environment and meet the most stringent component tolerances.
Our cutting-edge computational equipment, simulation and testing techniques, including CNC compression self-monitoring and coiling machinery, enable us to deliver durable and reliable products in a wide range of custom sizes and styles. We also have dedicated, high-speed machines that can quickly scale high-quality spring production processes to large part volumes.
Our team will work directly with you to create, refine, and optimize spring designs to fit specific tolerance and performance design requirements. We are ready to partner with you today to bring your high-performance medical springs to life.
Get In Touch
Contact Information
Contact us directly today, and let our experts resolve all your technical and sales questions. We can also guide you through spring options for industrial automation applications.
If you need immediate assistance, you can always reach us at our dedicated phone line to speak directly with our team: 800-237-5225.
Request a Quote and Consultation
If you can’t find the heavy duty compression spring you’re looking for in our catalog, you can always Request a Custom Quotation to partner with us in designing a custom spring specifically for your unique application.
We will follow up with a customized quotation, recommendations, and address any additional questions you may have.