The University of Jordan

School of Engineering

Department Course Name Course Number Semester

Mechanical Engineering Applications in Mechanical Design‫‏‬ 0904538 Spring 2018/19

Mid-term Exam Project

Design of Helical Compression Spring in an Industrial Application

Submission Date: 23/03/2019

Submitted by:

Hisham Tawfeeq Abd-Alhai, 0137663

Total Grade (from rubric) = /30

Course Instructor: Assoc. Prof. Moudar H. Zgoul

Design of Helical Compression Spring In An Industrial Application
March 23, 2019

Table of Contents

Abstract ......................................................................................................................2
Introduction ................................................................................................................2
Application .................................................................................................................3
Working Principle ......................................................................................................3
Valve Sizing and Selection ........................................................................................5
Noise Level Calculations .......................................................................................................................... 7

Spring Design .............................................................................................................8

Spring Material ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Spring Loading........................................................................................................................................ 12
Spring Simulation ................................................................................................................................... 18

Design Advantages, Constrains and Limitations .....................................................22

Impact of Engineering Solutions .............................................................................23
Recommendations ....................................................................................................23
References ................................................................................................................24
Appendix ..................................................................................................................25
A-1: Mind-Map of the project................................................................................................................. 25
A-2: Physical properties of selected gasses. ........................................................................................... 26
A-3: Crosby chart for back pressure correction factor ............................................................................ 27
A-4: Nelson Obert compressibility chart ................................................................................................ 28
A-5: FED1 Software full report .............................................................................................................. 29

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Abstract

In this project, a full design of a selected helical compression spring is to be

done. Starting from the type of industrial application that this spring is used in
(which will be the pressure relief valve of industrial natural gas piping system) and
what is the working criteria of this spring, including all important analysis
methods, spring material and geometry, types of loads this spring faces, and ending
with results of the design and recommendations about the spring.

(Note: The Mind-Map of this project is attached in Appendix A-1)

Introduction

A mechanical spring can be defined as an elastic body whose primary

function is to deflect or distort under load and which recovers its original shape
when released after being distorted. [1] Springs generally can be categorized as
wire springs, special shaped springs, and flat springs.

Wire springs can also be divided into compression, tension and torsional
springs based on the type of load that they resist.

Also, the shape of the end of the spring plays an important role in it’s
selection to specific required applications. As for the compression springs they are
classified according to their ends into: plain, ground, squared end springs.

The most common and efficient springs are compression springs, which are
used in applications and products spanning several industries.

In this project the selected spring is a helical compression spring with

squared-ground ends required to open and close a pressure relief valve in a natural
gas piping system.

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Application

A pressure relief valve (PRV) is a safety device designed to protect a

pressurized vessel, system or piping during an overpressure event. An overpressure
event refers to any condition which would cause pressure in a vessel, system, pipe
or storage tank to increase beyond the specified design pressure or maximum
allowable working pressure (MAWP).[2] There are a number of reasons why the
pressure in a vessel or equipment can exceed a predetermined limit. The most
common are: blocked outlet, exposure to external fire, often referred to as “Fire
Case”, thermal expansion of fluid, abnormal process conditions (chemical
reaction), pipe-work component failure, control valve failure etc.
Each of the above listed events may occur individually or simultaneously.
Every cause of over-pressure will create a different mass or volume flow to be
discharged. It is engineer’s responsibility to determine the worst case scenario for
the sizing and selection of a suitable pressure safety device.

Working Principle

In a spring-loaded Pressure relief valve the

closing force or spring force is applied by a helical
spring which is compressed by an adjusting screw.
The spring force is transferred via the spindle onto
the disc. The disc seals against the nozzle as long as
the spring force is larger than the force created by
the pressure at the inlet of the valve. Figure 1 shows
components of Spring Loaded Pressure Relief
Valves. [3]

In an upset situation a relief valve will open at

a predetermined set pressure. The spring force Fs is
acting in closing direction and Fp, the force created
by the pressure at the inlet of the relief valve, is
acting in opening direction. At set pressure the
forces Fs and Fp are balanced. There is no resulting
force to keep the disc down on the seat. Figure 1: Pressure relief valve
main components

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As a result the relief valve will visibly or audibly start to leak (initial audible
discharge). As the pressure inside the system increases, the force Fp increases
above the set pressure and the additional spring force required to further compress
the spring is overcome. The valve will open in such a manner that the opening is
proportional to increase in the vessel pressure to allow an increase in the flow.
Hence the opening of valve is not sudden, but gradual if the pressure is increased
gradually. Figure 2 below shows a schematic drawing of operation of conventional
relief valves:

Figure 2: Schematic showing operation of conventional relief valves (Courtesy of API, API
RP 520 I)

In most applications a properly sized safety valve will decrease the pressure in
the vessels and pipes when discharging. The pressure in the pipe will decrease at
any subsequent point, but not later than the end of the upset situation. A decreasing
pressure in the vessel or pipe will lower the force Fp. At set pressure however the
flow is still acting on the enlarged disc area, which will keep the valve open. A
further reduction in pressure is required until the spring force Fs is again greater
than Fp and the safety valve begins to close. At the so called reseating pressure the
disc will touch the nozzle again and the relief valve closes.

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Valve Sizing and Selection

The first step in pressure relief valve sizing is determining the set pressure and
the flow rate of the gas that is flowing inside the gas pipes. The orifice sizing for
gases can be done by mass flow rates. The formula used for that is based on the
perfect gas laws. These laws assume that the gas neither gains nor loses heat
(adiabatic), and that the energy of expansion is converted into kinetic energy.
However, few gases behave this way and the deviation from the perfect gas laws
becomes greater as the gas approaches saturated conditions. Therefore, the sizing
equations will contain various correction factors, such as the gas constant (C) and
the compressibility factor (Z), that illustrate deviation from the perfect gas law.

In this project, the set pressure is selected to be more than 1.03 bar(g) based
on the nature of the natural gas (Methane -CH4-) that flows inside the pipes.
Thus, at a Set Pressures ≥ 1.03 bar(g) The following formula can be used for
sizing valves:

Equation 1: Valve sizing formula

Where,

A = Minimum required discharge area (square millimeters)

C = Gas constant based upon the ratio of specific heats of the gas at standard
conditions.

K = Coefficient of discharge of the nozzle.

Kb = Back pressure correction factor for gas.

Kc = Combination factor for installations with a rupture disc upstream of the

valve.

M = Molecular weight of the gas.

P1 = Relieving pressure, bars absolute. This is the set pressure (kPa) +

overpressure (kPa) + atmospheric pressure (kPa).

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T = Absolute relieving temperature of the gas at the valve inlet, Kelvin

W= Required relieving capacity, (kg/hr)

Z = Compressibility factor.

Design specifications:
T = Temperature of gas inside pipe (degree Celsius) = 15.6 degree = 288.6 Kelvin
Thus, from table A-1 (Appendix):

M = Molecular weight for methane = 16.04

ɣ = Specific heat ratio = 1.31

C = Gas constant = 2.641

SG = Specific gravity for gas = 0.6

*Assuming that the gas is compressed to (2757.9 kPa) in order to transmit it.

Set Pressure = 2757.9 kPa

Over Pressure = a 3% of set pressure is commonly used for (PRV) = 82.7 kPa
Atmosphere Pressure = 101.3 kPa

Then,
P1 = 2941 kPa

K = Coefficient of discharge based on the manufacturer JOS-E/JBS-E/JLT-E Full

Nozzle Direct Acting Spring Valves = 0.975.

Kb = Back pressure correction factor = 0.3, from A-2 (Appendix) according to

Anderson Greenwood Series 81/83/86 Conventional Direct Spring PRV Back
Pressure Correction Factor Chart at (ɣ = 1.31).

Kc = 1, since there is no installation of a rupture disc upstream of the valve.

Z = 0.45 based on famous Nelson Obert Compressibility Chart from fig: A-3,
with a reduced pressure (Pr = 2.98) and a reduced temperature of (Tr = 1.1).

W=Required relieving capacity according to (ASME) for gas sys. = 6 8040 (kg/hr)

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After substitution of previous parameters in the sizing formula (Equation 1)

the resulting area of the orifice of the pressure relief valve will be:

*Comment: Based on the resulting orifice area the size designation letter of the
valve is (E) according to XYZ Valve Company’s standard orifice data, which has
the next larger area of .

Noise Level Calculations

The following formula is used for calculating noise level of gases as a result
of the discharge of a pressure relief valve to atmosphere.

Equation 2: Discharge gases noise level formula

Where:
L30 = Sound level at 30 meters from the point of discharge in (decibels)
L = Sound level at (P2/P1)
P1 = Pressure at the valve inlet during flow, kPa. This is the set pressure (kPa) +
overpressure (kPa) + atmospheric pressure (kPa)
P2 = Pressure at the valve outlet during flow, (kPa). This is back pressure (kPa) +
atmospheric pressure (kPa)

According to the pressure ratio (P2/P1) which is = 1.02, L = 15 decibel

Substituting the previously determined parameters in Equation 2 will give the

following result:
L30 = 15 + 51.4 = 66.4 (dB)
*Comment: The resulting sound pressure level is relatively high, because when it’s
compared for example with the sound pressure level that results from a vacuum
cleaner that is nearly 70 (dB), it will nearly have the same noise level.

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Spring Design

After determining the nozzle orifice area (A) and the pressure at the valve
inlet during the flow (P1), the force that is exerted on the valve disc (seat) that is
attached to the spring (Fp) can be determined by the following equation:

Equation 3: Pressure force exerted on orifice area

Where,
= orifice area for valve from type (E) (the next larger area to )

Thus,

*Comment: is net the opening force that results from P1 shown previously in
Figure 2.

Also, the closing force can be expressed as:

Equation 4: closing force formula for the valve

Where,
P2 = Pressure at the valve outlet during flow = 882.3 kPa

When the open area times the difference in pressures (P1-P2), equals the
spring force, the valve begins to open. So, at the opening case:

Equation 5: Spring force at the opening case formula

Thus,

*Comment: Increasing the pressure on the back of the disk, P2 or the backpressure,
will hold the valve closed. “Back-pressure” is the pressure that builds up in the
relief piping and at the outlet of the relief valve.

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Based on the previously calculated spring force at the opening case,

the dimensions of the valve, the diameter of valve and length of the spring (taken
from table 2) can now be determined as following:

Table 1: selection/dimensions table for the PRV

Then, Figure 3: Dimensions A,B&C

Diameter of valve = 51 mm

Clearance between bonnet and spring = 25% of the valve diameter = 12.75 mm

Outer diameter of spring (OD) = 51mm – 12.75mm = 38.25 mm

Free length of the spring ( ) = 131 mm

Final length (Solid length) ( ) = 30 mm

Valve lift = Deflection of spring (Stroke) = 101 mm

= 283.76 N, Loads on the spring are fluctuating in a range of

259.4 N – 283.76 N.

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Spring Material

The selected material for the spring in this project based on the type of
application is: Chrome-Vanadium steel (CrV) – which is the most popular alloy
spring steel for use when fatigue-resistance, long endurance, high corrosion and
rust formation resistance are needed. [5]

This alloy is formed by an alloying addition of “chrome” that improves

significantly the steel susceptibility to hardening. Where, the alloying addition of
“vanadium” increases steel toughness during heat treating what positively affects
high temperature and deformation resistance. In addition to advantages listed
before, this material’s price is relatively rated as (3) on a scale of (10).

Also, Phosphor-bronze steel which is considered as super-alloy steel that has

an excellent characteristics that fit the application can be used instead of (Crv), but
it was not used due to it’s relatively expensive price that is rated as (8) on a scale
of (10). The following table gives a general description about the previously
mentioned two materials.

Table 3: General description about materials [6]

Now, According to Table 4 in next page (Page 10), the diameter of the wire (coil)
if the selected material is (CrV) is:

Wire (Coil) Daimeter ( )

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Table 4: Wire diameters based on manufacturers and standards [6]

After, calculating Outer diameter of the spring (OD) = 38.25 mm, and the coil
diameter of the spring 3.76 mm, the mean diameter (D) of the spring can be
found from the following formula:

Equation 6: Mean diameter equation

Thus,
D = 34.49 mm

Now, the spring index can be calculated as follows:

Equation 7: Spring index equation

So, the resulting spring index ( ) = 9.17

**Comment: the calculated spring index falls into the preferred range for it which
is from (4-12). [7]

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Spring Loading

Based on the results shown at the end of Page 8 before, it is concluded that the
spring of the PRV faces a Fatigue Load which is the type of load that causes
premature fracture of materials under fluctuating load (stress/strain/temperature).

Fatigue is a sudden failure exhibiting no overall ductility in the component and

is known to be the cause in 90% of the total failures of structures. During each
fatigue cycle the material absorbs part of the applied energy and, when the
accumulated strain energy reaches the value of the surface energy of the material
(in that environment), a surface forms (i.e. a crack appears). [4] Figure 4 below
shows the variation of load applied on spring with time.

Figure 4: Variation of applied relative to time

The following calculations show the variation between using a Dynamic-

spring and using other springs for static service.

Equation 8: Amplitude component formula

Thus,

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Equation 9: Midrange component formula

Then,

Depending on Table 3 before, the ultimate tesnsile strength of the wire can be
calculated from following relation:

Equation 10: Ultimate tensile strength formula

Where,
A = 2005 And m = 0.168

So,

And the shearing ultimate strength :

After this step, and for fatigue applications the curvature factor ( should be
included in calculations as following:

Equation 11: Bergstrasser factor for curvature equation

Thus,

Now, the next step to find the shear-stress correction factor ( ) where:

Equation 12: Shear stress- correction factor formula

Thus,

Depending on this result, the resulting corrected shear stress amplitude and
midrange shear-stress can be calculated through following equations:

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Equation 13: shear stress formula Equation 14: Midrange shear stress formula

Thus, = 36.04 (Mpa) & = 803.27 (MPa)

**Comment: those values are obtained in order to estimate the load-line slope (r)
that is used to calculate the Amplitude Component of strength based on
Gerber fatigue failure criterion with Zimmerli data. Also, the Gerber ordinate
intercept must be calculated in order to obtain So:

r=
Equation 15: Load-line slope equation

Then, r = .0448

Now, Gerber ordinate intercept for the Zimmerli data is :

Equation 16: Gerber ordinate intercept for the Zimmerli data

**Comment: based on the nature of the application that this spring is designed for;
this spring is designed to have an infinite life. One of the methods that help the
spring to sustain and operate for more cycles is Shot-peening which is used in
order to enhance the fatigue strength of dynamically-loaded springs.The most
reliable data on the torsional endurance limits of spring steels are reported by
Zimmerli [8] who tested the springs after peening them, and compared the results
that he have got to the springs which are un-peened for a certain load range and
concluded that the endurance strength components are:

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Now, by substituting zimmerli’s data listed before ( ) and ( ) for shot-peened

springs and the calculated shearing ultimate strength ( in Equation 16 the
following results:

Thus,

Now, based on the following equation: [6]

Equation 17: Gerber intersection coordinates formula

The Amplitude Component of strength based on Gerber fatigue

failure criterion with Zimmerli data will be:

Thus, the factor of safety guarding against fatigue using a torsional Gerber fatigue
failure criterion ( is given by:

Equation 18: torsional Gerber fatigue factor of safety

Then,

**Comment: since the fatigue factor of safety has a value more than 1, the
designed spring will be able to serve for an infinite-life as it was designed to.

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Now, for calculating the Spring-rate ( the following equation is to be used:

Equation 19: Spring rate formula

And using the below table, the Modulus of Rigidity (G) for (CrV A232) is
= 77.2 GPa
Table 5: Modulus of Rigidity (G) and Modulus of Elasticity (E) for (CrV) table:

Also, the number of total coils ( can be determined through the following
equation based on the solid length ( of the spring for Squared-Ground Ends
of spring:

Equation 20: Forys equation for solid length determination

Where,
is forys variable of the previous equation with an average value of 0.75
Thus,

Now, from the following table the number of active coils ( can be
determined:

Table 6: Formulas for the Dimensional characteristics of compression springs [6]

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Where,

Then,

After substitution in Equation 19, the spring rate will be:

The weight ( of the active part of the spring can be determined as following:

Equation 21: Weight of the active part of the spring formula

Where,
ɣ

Thus,

When helical springs are used in application requiring a rapid motion, the
physical dimensions of the spring should be excellent deigned so they don’t result
in creating a natural vibratory frequency close to the frequency of the applied
force, if this thing is not achieved resonance will occur the thing that will cause
damaging stresses, because spring materials usually have low internal damping.
The travelling of the waves inside the spring in back and forth directions when the
spring is subject to a certain force is defined as Spring-Surging.

The frequency of the designed spring is given by the following equation:

Equation 22: Frequency calculation formula

Substituting the previously obtained values for and , the resulting frequency
will be :

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**Comment: the fundamental critical frequency (calculated in previous page)

should be greater than 15 to 20 times the frequency of the force that the spring is
subjected to in order to avoid resonance.
In this case the frequency of the force must be less than 114.9/20 = 5.747 Hz.

Spring Simulation
About Software:

FED1 calculates cylindrical helical compression springs in accordance with

EN 13906-1. Graphical presentation of the spring's characteristic curve, the
Goodman diagram and the buckling field is possible. A scale drawing of the
spring, as well as a production drawing in accordance with DIN/EN can be
exported to CAD via the DXF and IGES interfaces. The extended version, FED1+,
also contains a database which you can append indefinitely as well as calculation
and animation of the spring on screen.

The following figures show the inputs screen of the software:

Figure 5: Dimensions of spring input screen

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Figure 6: Material of spring input screen

Figure 7: Type of stress input screen

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The resulting curves and graphs for the spring after running the simulation
process are listed as following:

Figure 8: Resulting Load-Deflection curve of spring (F-S Diagram)

Figure 9: Resulting Dynamic-stress coefficient curve of spring (k)

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Figure 10: Resulting Modulus of Rigidity decaying curve with temperature (G vesrsus T)

Figure 11: Resulting Goodman chart for spring

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Figure 12: Resulting Buckling diagram for spring.

The full report of the software is attached in Appendix A-6.

Design Advantages, Constrains and Limitations

The following table summarizes the advantages and limitations of the

pressure relief valve in general:
Table 7: Advantages and limitations of metal seated pressure relief valve. [3]

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Impact of Engineering Solutions

Economical:

Oil and gas production facilities handle gas and liquids under pressure
conditions where the improper use or failure of certain components may cause an
overpressure of various facility components. Economic considerations do not allow
the facility engineer to design all components to withstand the maximum pressure
to which they may be exposed. To provide a safe yet economic design, pressure
relieving devices are used.

Environmental:

The accumulation of material or energy within a process system can cause

overpressure that exceeds the design conditions of the equipments and pipe-lines,
thus the system can explode letting out a huge amount of flammable natural gas
that if ignited, a huge amount of environment harmful emissions will be produced
such as carbon dioxide that is considered a green house gas which causes global
warming.

Recommendations

Vents from pressure relief valves must be terminated vertically upwards to

achieve good dispersion and require further attention with respect to hazardous
areas. The fitting of flame arrestors is not recommended or normally necessary.
The termination point should minimize the ingress of rain, dust, etc but should not
normally be fitted with a flame arrestor. The size of vent pipe-work needs to take
account of the flow and longer lengths.

Pressure relief valves (vents) should be installed at distance more than 30

meters from workers, based on the noise level calculations done.

Using springs that are made from Phosphor-bronze steel material instead of
(CrV) is better (if the project’s budget is open).

According to frequency calculation, the frequency of the force mustn’t

exceed 5.747 Hz to prevent resonance from occurring.

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References

[1] Wahl, A. M. (1980). Mechanical springs. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor,

MI.

[2] “PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE ENGINEERING HANDBOOK - Emerson.”

[Online]. Available: https://www.emerson.com/documents/automation/pressure-
relief-valve-engineering-handbook-en-us-3923290.pdf. [Accessed: 15-Mar-2019].

[3]Theprocesspiping, “Introduction to Pressure Safety Valve,” The Process Piping,

08-Oct-2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.theprocesspiping.com/introduction-
pressure-safety-valve/. [Accessed: 16-Mar-2019].

[4] “Fluctuating Load,” Fluctuating Load - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

[Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/fluctuating-
load. [Accessed: 22-Mar-2019].

[5] “Selection and Application of Spring Materials,” Mechanical Engineering, vol

.78, 1956, pp. 331-334

[6] Budynas.R , Nisbett.K . (2015) . Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design .

10th edition. pp. 517 . McGraw-Hill

[7] Design Handbook: Engineering Guide to Spring Design, Associated Spring-

Barnes Group Inc., Bristol, CT, 1987.

[8] “ Human Failures in Spring Applications,” F. P. Zimmerli, The Mainspring, no.

17, associated Spring Corporation, Bristol, Conn., Augest-September 1957.

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Appendix
A-1: Mind-Map of the project.

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A-2: Physical properties of selected gasses.

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A-3: Crosby chart for back pressure correction factor

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A-4: Nelson Obert compressibility chart

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A-5: FED1 Software full report

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