Simulating spring design and fabrication in the classroom

Abstract

A set of experiments delving into the nature of the spring constant k is proposed. The variation of k with the number of coils N, the coil diameter D and the wire diameter d are determined for Cu springs. It is shown that k varies as 1/N, 1/D³ and d⁴. A spring design equation is also proposed and tested. The true spring constant K is calculated to be 2.75 x 10⁸ dynes/cm² . The activities result in an understanding of spring design and fabrication. These can be done in place of or as an extension to the traditional experiment on Hooke's law involving springs.