Failure of Springs PDF
Failure of Springs PDF
Failure of Springs PDF
Abstract: The springs used in the bogie suspension of railway coaches are compression springs. They are
made of an elastic wire material formed into the shape of a helix. They are commonly referred to as a coil
spring or a helical spring. They are used to store energy and subsequently release it to absorb shock or to
maintain a force between contact surfaces. The spring returns to its natural length or position when unloaded.
Springs used in railway coaches have been failing prematurely much before their intended service life. The
springs are made with quality materials. Before being put to service, the springs are tested with extensive Non
Destructive Testing Methods which are approved by ISO standards to make sure that quality parts are used.
However the springs still fail before their service life ends.
Keywords: chromium vanadium steel, , helical spring,design constrain , and analysis.
I.
Introduction
The Indian railways is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world transporting over 18
million passengers and more than 2 million tons of freight daily. With more than 1.4 million employees, it is
known to be the worlds largest commercial or utility employer . This project will involve creating a solid model
of the helical spring using Pro/ENGINEER software with the given specifications and analyzing the same model
using ANSYS software. Here the spring behavior will be observed under prescribed loads to find out if any
stress points exist. Based on this analysis, design recommendations will be made to improve its service life.
II.
Methodology
The steps involved in creating a model of the spring. A model of the spring will be first created usign
Pro/Engineer software. Then the model will be imported to ANSYS to complete static and dynamic structural
analysis.
III.
A research study was done on multiaxial fatigue and failure analysis of helical compression springs in
2005. Although uniaxial fatigue analysis has been done in the past, results from multiaxial fatigue analysis are
few. The study is mainly done to see if predicted fatigue life of a spring is different from experimental results.
To estimate the fatigue life of mechanical springs, the study uses different types of criteria and methods to
provide the best results. The fatigue lives are estimated using Fatemi-Socie, Wang-Brown and Coffin-Manson
criteria. These results are then compared with experimental results. A model of the spring is created using
ANSYS software and the stress analysis results are fed into numerical analysis software called nCode. NCode
uses this data to conduct multiaxial fatigue analysis. NCode also predicts the most likely location for the spring
to fail. A failure analysis is also performed to get the exact location of spring failure and compare it with the one
obtained from numerical analysis. The results show different fatigue life predictions for different criteria. The
Fatemi-Socie critical plane approach gives a good prediction of fatigue life while the Wang-Brown criterion
overestimates fatigue life. Also, the Coffin-Mason model gives very conservative results. The above results
were obtained from nCode software. It is observed that inner surface of the coil is most susceptible to damage.
This is similar to the one obtained from experimental observation. The results of this study can help determine
the best model to analyze fatigue behavior of a helical compression spring.The results of this study can help
current research investigate if any particular area of the spring experiences more deformation than other areas.
Results will reveal if the top or the bottom coil show more deformation than the rest of the body.
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Mathematical Analysis
4.3 LOADS
A load of 2 MT (metric ton)/19.62 KN is applied on top of the spring.
V.
VI.
6.1 SPRINGS
All materials to some degree show elastic properties and will deform to some extent when they are
subjected to external loads. When the load is removed, the material will return to its original shape without
any deformation provided its elastic limit is not exceeded. A material which shows these properties can be
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VII.
The Finite Element Analysis has been carried out for Closed end Mechanical Spring for given operating
conditions. Please refer to Appendix for the design considerations. The spring is simulated using higher order
Solid 92 elements. The geometry model is generated using Pro-E simulation software. The Model is imported to
Ansys to carry Static Analysis followed by the Dynamic Analysis.
The Vanishes Stress is shown below; the Vanishes stress 1359 Mpa is more than the Yield strength of the
material. The spring may fail for the given loading and boundary conditions
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VIII.
Results Summary
The Analysis is carried out for Open End Spring and Closed End Spring of the same material for the
given Loading and Boundary Conditions and the results are summarized as below:
The Vonmises Stress for Open End Spring is around 1359 Mpa, Which is more than the Yield Strength of the
material. Hence Material will for the given Loading and Boundary Conditions.
The First Natural Frequency of the Open End Spring is observed as 10 Hz, if it wont fall near to the operating
frequency. The spring will be safe under dynamic Conditions, or else it will have higher amplitudes and tend to
undergo resonance.
The Vonmises Stress for Open End Spring for Harmonic Analysis is observed as 1107 Mpa, which is more than
the Yield Strength of the Material, Hence design will fail under dynamic operating conditions.
As a general rule, the ratio of Endurance Limit to Ultimate Strength of the Material is 0.6, hence the spring
stress is less than Endurance Limit of the Material, the spring will not have infinite life, and the life of the spring
is less 1e5 Cycles.
For Closed End Spring,
The Vonmises Stress for Closed End Spring is around 1182 Mpa, Which is more than the Yield
Strength of the material. Hence Material will for the given Loading and Boundary Conditions.
The First Natural Frequency of the Closed End Spring is observed as 10 Hz, if it wont fall near to the operating
frequency. The spring will be safe under dynamic Conditions, or else it will have higher amplitudes and tend to
undergo resonance.
The Vonmises Stress for Closed End Spring for Harmonic Analysis is observed as 1230 Mpa, which is
more than the Yield Strength of the Material, Hence design will fail under dynamic operating conditions.
As a general rule, the ratio of Endurance Limit to Ultimate Strength of the Material is 0.6, hence the spring
stress is less than Endurance Limit of the Material, the spring will not have infinite life, and the life of the spring
is less 1e5 Cycles.
Compare to Open End Spring, Closed end spring will take more loads under given Loading and Operating
Conditions. The Closed End Spring will be better when Compare to Open End Spring.
IX.
Conclusion
To study the dynamic behavior of the springs, 3D solid model of helical springs are modeled with PRO/E.
Static and Dynamic stress analysis are carried out using ANSYS to understand the Structural and Dynamic
response of the springs. Spring behavior will be observed under prescribed or expected loads. Based on the
results design modifications will be suggested for better life without failure in service.
X.
future Scope
Design optimization can be carried out either by changing material type or changing the design of
spring. The research could throw light on why the springs fail early and why they break only at the inactive coil.
The study could also present suggestions to increase the life of the spring.
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M. Senthil Kumar, S. Vijayarangan, Design Optimization and Experimental Analysis of Composite Leaf Spring for Light
Passenger Vehicles, Journal of Advances in Vibration Engineering, Vol 6, pp. 175-184, 2007.
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