Is the Stress in a Twisted Helical Spring Caused by Torsion or Bending?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the mechanics of stress in a twisted helical spring, specifically addressing whether the stress is caused by torsion or bending. The analysis involves a massless homogeneous helical spring characterized by wire diameter d, wire length l, and radius R. The derived equations indicate that the twisting deformation results in a relationship between twisting torque (M), shear modulus (G), and torsion constant (J), leading to the conclusion that the stress in the wire is primarily due to bending rather than torsion when the spring is compressed along its axis.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of helical spring mechanics
  • Familiarity with torsion and bending stress concepts
  • Knowledge of shear modulus (G) and torsion constant (J)
  • Basic calculus for deriving relationships in mechanical systems
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of the torsion constant (J) for different spring geometries
  • Explore the effects of varying pitch angles on helical spring behavior
  • Learn about the application of variational methods in solving nonlinear deformation problems
  • Investigate the differences between bending and torsion in mechanical structures
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Mechanical engineers, materials scientists, and students studying mechanics of materials will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the behavior of helical springs under various loading conditions.

reterty
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Let us consider the massless homogeneous helical spring with the infinitesimal wire diameter d and wire length l. We denote the spring radius as R. Now we consider the curvilinear spring section of length dl. We draw radii from the spiral axis to the centers of the end cross-sections of this section. After the twisting deformation the second cross-section rotates relative to the first by angle dφ=Mdl/(GJ), where M is the twisting torque; G is the shear modulus; J is the torsion constant. At this rate second radius rotates relative to the first one by the same angle dφ and second end of the section is shifted along the axis of the spiral by a distance dz=Rdφcosα, where α is the current pitch angle of spring (helix). Then z=Mlcosα/(GJ), where l is the total rod length (we assume that this length remains constant during the torsion process). On the other hand, if the initial pitch angle (before twisting) close to zero, then z=l sinα. As a result, we have: M/(GJ)=sinα/(R cosα). This equation differs from that given in cin literature http://www.manuscriptsystem.com/Journal/articles.aspx?journalid=1108 article"Solving Geometrically Nonlinear Problem on Deformation of a Helical Spring through Variational Methods" (there is M/(GJ)=sinαcosα/R), but I can not find mistake in my derivation. Please help me with this problem
 
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If you are twisting a helical spring, I believe the stress in the wire is essentially simple bending, not torsion. The wire of a helical spring subjected to compression parallel to its axis is stressed in torsion.
 

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