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Spring steel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spring steel is a name given to a wide range of steels[1] used in the manufacture of different products, including swords, saw blades, springs and many more. 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

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Many grades of steel can be hardened and tempered to increase elasticity and resist deformation; however, some steels are inherently more elastic than others:

Common spring steel grades
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% Mn, max. 0.030% P, max. 0.035% S[3] 62–78 ksi (430–540 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 (410–520 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% Cr[9] 97 ksi (670 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% V, max. 0.40% Si 170 ksi (1,200 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 (1,010 MPa) 42 Equivalents EN 10088-2 1.4310, X10CrNi18-8

Applications

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  • Applications include piano wire (also known as[11] music wire) such as ASTM A228 (0.80–0.95% carbon), spring clamps, antennas, springs (e. g. vehicle coil springs or leaf springs), and s-tines.
  • Spring steel is commonly used in the manufacture of swords with rounded edges for training[12] or stage combat,[13] as well as sharpened swords for collectors and live combat.
  • 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 frequently used in the making of knives, machetes, and other edged tools.
  • It is a key component in electrician's fish tape.
  • It is used in binder clips.
  • Used extensively in shims due to its resistance to deformation in low thicknesses.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Engineering.com (23 October 2006). "Springs".
  2. ^ a b McMaster-Carr catalog (116th ed.), McMaster-Carr, p. 3630, retrieved 3 September 2010.
  3. ^ "74-75 Carbon Spring Steel". Precision Steel Warehouse. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  4. ^ "SAE-AISI 1074 (G10740) Carbon Steel". MakeItFrom.com. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b http://www.admiralsteel.com/pdf/catalog.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ "ASTM A228 (SWP-A, K08500) Music Wire". MakeItFrom.com. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  7. ^ "95 Carbon Spring Steel". Precision Steel Warehouse. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  8. ^ McMaster-Carr catalog (116th ed.), McMaster-Carr, p. 3632, retrieved 3 September 2010.
  9. ^ a b c Oberg, Erik, and F D. Jones. Machinery's Handbook. 15th ed. New York: The Industrial Press, 1956. 1546–1551. Print.
  10. ^ McMaster-Carr catalog (116th ed.), McMaster-Carr, p. 3662, retrieved 3 September 2010.
  11. ^ Oberg et al. 2000, p. 286.
  12. ^ Store, SBG Sword. "Kingston Arms". SBG Sword Store. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Arnold Stage Combat Sword". Buying a Sword. Retrieved 17 May 2022.

Bibliography

  • Oberg, Erik; Jones, Franklin D.; Horton, Holbrook L.; Ryffel, Henry H. (2000). Christopher J. McCauley; Riccardo Heald; Muhammed Iqbal Hussain (eds.). Machinery's Handbook (26th ed.). Ratnagiri: Industrial Press Inc. ISBN 0-8311-2635-3.