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Module: NG1S422

AEROSPACE MATERIALS &

HARDWARE

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Disclaimer S

The information contained within this document is for TRAINING USE ONLY.

These training notes should not be used for carrying out any work or procedure on ANY
aircraft. You must always use the correct aircraft maintenance manual or equipment
manufacturer’s handbook.

You should abide by the rules set out by your regulatory authority and as laid down in
the company policy where you are working. All reports, documentation, etc., must be in
compliance with your organization.

For Health and Safety, always follow the guidance laid down by the equipment
manufacturer, company policy, national safety policies and national governments.

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering

University of South Wales
Treforest Campus
Pontypridd
NP20 2BP

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BOOK 9
SPRINGS

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Table of Contents HO
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Disclaimer.............................................................................................................................................................. 2 S
SPRINGS.................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Hooke’s Law..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Terms Used for Coil Springs......................................................................................................................5
Compression Springs....................................................................................................................................6
Tension Springs.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Maintenance..................................................................................................................................................... 7

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SPRINGS HO
A spring is a device that will deflect under load (storing that energy as a strain) and ED
return to its original length once the load or force is removed. DU
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Springs are normally made of spring steel (medium carbon steel hardened and
tempered with small amounts of silicon and manganese and chrome vanadium steels)
supplied in sheet or wire form (typical specification SAE 6160, EN41, EN45 etc). Sheet
form is used to manufacture leaf springs and wire is used for the manufacture of coil
(helical) springs. Coil springs can be used as compression springs or tension springs.

Springs are used in the aviation industry for:

 Control springs – in instrument force/torque balance systems.

 Lock springs – in over-centre geometric locks.
 Return springs – in hydraulic/pneumatic valves to return the valve to its original
setting.
 Force pressure springs – to produce a pressure within a hydraulic/pneumatic
valve for operation/control purposes.
 Shock absorber springs – to absorb energy eg, kinetic energy to strain energy –
spring shock absorbers on some tail-skids.
 Force springs – spring balance etc.

Hooke’s Law
Robert Hooke English physicist 1635 – 1703. Hooke’s law of elasticity states that, up to
the elastic limit, the strain (change in length) of a material is proportional to the stress
applied (force per unit area). By their very nature springs are designed to work within
this law. This means that if 1 unit of force is applied to a spring it will deform 1 unit of
length and if the unit of force is doubled the change in length will double.

The spring-balance is a good example of this. Support, say, a 1kg bag of sugar from the
balance, it will extend a certain amount. If the mass is doubled to 2kg the balance will
now extend to double the first movement. If it is correctly calibrated it will read,
respectively, for the two readings ‘1kg’ and ‘2kg’.

Terms Used for Coil Springs

Free Length – The length of the spring without any load applied. When checking this
length is should be within the limits as laid down in the appropriate maintenance
manual.

Pitch – The distance between the centre of one coil of the spring and its adjacent coil –
without any load applied.

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Coil Distance – This is the distance between two adjacent coils – without any load
applied.

Wire Diameter – The diameter of the wire from which the coils are made.

Outside Coil Diameter – The outside diameter of the unloaded spring (OCD).

Inside Coil Diameter – The inside diameter of the unloaded spring (ICD).

Mean Coil Diameter – The average between the OCD and the ICD.

Tip Thickness – The thickness of the ground section of the end of the spring
(Compression coils only).

Compression Springs
May be wound left or right handed and are usually finished off top and bottom by
grinding the coils flat to provide a surface on which the spring can act. The coils are
usually made of round section wire but they may also be made of square section bar and
the coil diameter is usually large compared to its free length.

Tension Springs
Again, these may be left or right handed and the coils are terminated, usually, by the
ends being bent to provide a fixing to the component. Coil wires are usually of round
cross-section with the coil diameter being small compared to the free length.

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Springs may be designed in several forms: HO
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 Helical (coil springs). Very common. DU
 Beam spring. Absorbs a large amount of energy but has a limited amount of S
movement.
 Leaf spring. Similar to a beam spring but is thinner and may be built up with
several layers.
 Special springs. To include cup spring discs built up into a stack providing an
effect similar to a compression spring.

Maintenance
There is little maintenance requirement for springs and almost all rectification is by
replacement. Further details or maintenance checks are in module 7.

Part 66
Module NG1S422- Book 9 (Springs) Revision 2