Spring steel
| Steels |
|---|
 |
| Phases |
| Microstructures |
| Classes |
| Other iron-based materials |
Spring steel is a name given to a wide range of steels[1] used in the manufacture of springs, prominently in automotive and industrial suspension applications. These steels are generally low-alloy manganese, medium-carbon steel or high-carbon steel with a very high yield strength. This allows objects made of spring steel to return to their original shape despite significant deflection or twisting.
Grades
Many grades of steel can be hardened and tempered to suit application as a spring; however, some steels exhibit more desirable characteristics for spring applications.
| SAE grade (ASTM grade) |
Composition | Yield strength | Hardness (HRC) | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical | Maximum | ||||
| 1070 | 0.65-0.75% C, 0.60-0.90% Mn, max .050% S, max .040% P | Normally supplied annealed | 165vpn | 180vpn | CS70, CK67, C70E |
| 1074/1075[2] | 0.70–0.80% C, 0.50–0.80% Template:Manganese, max. 0.030% Template:Phosphorus, max. 0.035% Template:Sulfur[3] | 62–78 ksi (430–530 MPa)[4] | 44–50[5] | 50 | Scaleless blue,or Polished Bright |
| 1080 (A228) | 0.7–1.0% C, 0.2–0.6% Mn, 0.1–0.3% Si[6] | Piano wire, music wire, springs, clutch discs | |||
| 1095 (A684)[2] | 0.90–1.03% C, 0.30–0.50% Mn, max. 0.030% P, max. 0.035% S[7] | 60–75 ksi (413–517 MPa), annealed | 48–51[5] | 59 | Blue, or polished bright spring steel |
| 5160 (A689)[8] | 0.55–0.65% C, 0.75–1.00% Mn, 0.70–0.90% Template:Chromium[9] | 97 ksi (669 MPa) | 63 | Chrome-silicon spring steel; fatigue-resistant | |
| 50CrV4 (EN 10277) | 0.47–0.55% C, max. 1.10% Mn, 0.90–1.20% Cr, 0.10–0.20% Template:Vanadium, max. 0.40% Template:Silicon | 1200 MPa | Old British 735 H1steel, SAE 6150, 735A51 | ||
| 9255 | 0.50–0.60% C, 0.70–0.95% Mn, 1.80–2.20% Si[9] | ||||
| 301 spring-tempered stainless steel[10] |
0.08–0.15% C, max. 2.00% Mn, 16.00–18.00% Cr, 6.00–8.00% Ni[9] | 147 ksi (1014 MPa) | 42 | Equivalents EN 10088-2 1.4310, X10CrNi18-8 | |
| A more comprehensive range of spring grades can be found here[11] | |||||
Applications
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
- Applications include piano wire (also known as[12] music wire) such as ASTM A228 (0.80–0.95% carbon), spring clamps, antennas, springs, and vehicle coil springs, leaf springs, and s-tines.
- Spring steel is also commonly used in the manufacture of metal swords for stage combat due to its resistance to bending, snapping or shattering.[dubious – discuss]
- Spring steel is one of the most popular materials used in the fabrication of lockpicks due to its pliability and resilience.
- Tubular spring steel is used in the landing gear of some small aircraft due to its ability to absorb the impact of landing.
- It is also commonly used in the making of knives, especially for the Nepalese kukri.[citation needed]
- It is used in binder clips.
- Used extensively in shims due to its resistance to deformation in low thicknesses.
See also
References
- ^ Engineering.com (23 October 2006). "Springs".
- ^ a b McMaster-Carr catalog (116th ed.), McMaster-Carr, p. 3630, retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ "74-75 Carbon Spring Steel". Precision Steel Warehouse. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ "SAE-AISI 1074 (G10740) Carbon Steel". MakeItFrom.com. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ a b http://www.admiralsteel.com/pdf/catalog.pdf
- ^ "ASTM A228 (SWP-A, K08500) Music Wire". MakeItFrom.com. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "95 Carbon Spring Steel". Precision Steel Warehouse. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ McMaster-Carr catalog (116th ed.), McMaster-Carr, p. 3632, retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Oberg, Erik, and F D. Jones. Machinery's Handbook. 15th ed. New York: The Industrial Press, 1956. 1546–1551. Print.
- ^ McMaster-Carr catalog (116th ed.), McMaster-Carr, p. 3662, retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ "Steel Strip Resources".
- ^ Oberg et al. 2000, p. 286.
Bibliography
- Oberg, Erik; Franklin D. Jones; Holbrook L. Horton; Henry H. Ryffel (2000). Christopher J. McCauley; Riccardo Heald; Muhammed Iqbal Hussain (eds.). Machinery's Handbook (26th ed.). Ratnagiri: Industrial Press Inc. ISBN 0-8311-2635-3.