Very Large Springs 1

[EngineerRed]

Are there any manufacturers who can build extremely large springs in the US ? I'm looking for a spring that has a spring rate around 50000 lb/in and stroke of 3 inches , wire diameter around 3.88 inches .

 

[JohnRBaker]

Try these guys, as they have a site where you can enter your specs and you might find what you're looking for:

https://www.thespringstore.com/large-compression-springs.html

Not sure where they actually manufacture their springs, but the company is located in California.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[EdStainless]

Search for the people that make railroad truck springs. There are a couple of heavy spring guys left.
Think of things like tank cannon recoil springs....

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[The Obturator]

There was a company in the US by the name of Duel (or similar), but I can't find any trace of them. Best alternative I could get was a French company listing wire dia of 97mm (3.82") web site

https://www.masselin.com/en

they made a video on YT boasting the biggest spring in the world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAZJ67HqFs

Good Luck!

Per ISO-4126, only the term Safety Valve is used regardless of application or design.

 

[btrueblood]

Hmm...best company I could think of (Draco in Houston TX) only lists capacity to 2.5" diameter hot wound. Dendoff does railroad truck coil springs, but only list available sizes up to 3" diameter (you might contact them anyway to see if they can go bigger?) Amsted is another rail car spring supplier, but doesn't list sizes on their website.

 

[Strong]

Reportedly worlds largest coiled springs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAZJ67HqFs

Walt

 

[MintJulep]

This is outside the range of railroad springs.

 

[GregLocock]

60 tons in 3", for anyone who hasn't worked it out.

What size springs are used in big presses?

https://www.pspring.com/products/heavy-springs/

would be worth a ring

Horrible thought - machine it from solid and then heat treat it.




Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[MintJulep]

Does it have to be a metal coil spring?

Research urethane springs.

 

[GregLocock]

Indeed, or good old rubber.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[mfgenggear]

indeed could it be hydraulic?

 

[dhengr]

EngineerRed:
A spring rate of 50 kips/in., 3” travel free to solid, and made of 3.9” dia. rod sounds pretty impractical to me, although I’ve not put any numbers to the problem at this point. That sounds like a pretty nasty sized spring, to say nothing of how it would be supported, confined, and how its ends would be finished, ground flat, or what? I assume you could find someone make such a spring for enough money. EdStainless suggested the most practical solution and everyone just waltzed right past it. Railcar truck springs are readly available, practical, economical, and of good quality. A spring group of 9 – D3 inners and outers would come pretty close to meeting the OP’s requirements; about 5.73 kips/inch per spring set, by 9 = 51.6 kips/inch, with 2.5” travel, free to solid. A std. commodity item on the American railroads. All in a package of about 18” sq., by 12” high. The Op’er. would have to design and fab the cage and load bearing system for this 3x3 spring package. And, I suspect that will be easier than finding a maker for the single large spring.

 

[swall]

Duer/Carolina Spring is another.

 

[The Obturator]

swall - Duer - that's the one I oouldn't quite recall in my earlier post here -

https://dccoil.com/

Per ISO-4126, only the term Safety Valve is used regardless of application or design.

 

[Jboggs]

There are hu8ndreds of custom spring manufacturers all over the place. A simple google search will reveal much.

 

[GregLocock]

Aye, but bending a 4" bar is not an everyday job for a coil spring manufacturer.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[itsmoked]

I've had large springs made at Link

They were fast and worked well.

It's not hard to make big springs because they do it all yellow hot and the steel bends like spaghetti (cooked).

When I used the place they were in Oakland, CA but now they're in Fresno, CA. Probably because in Fresno they only need half the energy to get the springs up to yellow heat.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[R Hale]

Highly recommend Betts Spring in Fresno. Hot-wound specialists.

https://bettsspring.com

 

[chicopee]

Make inquiries at railroad car companies as to which companies make railroad car coil springs. Seismologists with high rise building in earthquake prone regions may also be able to help with your inquiries.