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Stress relieving springs?

AllanD

Plastic
Joined
Sep 8, 2004
Location
Calgary, AB
Hi there,
I just finished my first successful attempt at winding a compression spring out of music wire.

I found reference on the web about stress relieving the spring for an hour @ 500F after I was done working it. Is this step vital to having the spring last without breaking, or can I skip that step for a hobby application?

Allan
 
If you wound the spring from ASTM A228 music wire, I'd stress-relieve it at 375 F. The reasons for stress relief have as much to do with stability as with life. If you stress-relieve the spring while compressed (or stretched or twisted, in the cases of an extension spring or torsion spring, respectively), it is less likely to relax later on.
 
Oh okay. Thanks. So I should compress it until it is closed while it is heating then? Should I let it cool slowly, or quench it?

Allan
 








 
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