STABILITY AND OPTIMIZATION OF ELASTICALLY CLAMPED HELICAL SPRINGS UNDER TENSION

Abstract

In this paper, the problem of stability and optimization of an elastically clamped helical spring subject to a tensile force is considered. The force is assumed to change the direction and the point of application during buckling; its behaviour is determined by four parameters. Some particular cases of loadings are investigated in detail. An initial geometry of a spring (a distribution of helix angle and radius of a spring) with a given initial length H_o is sought which ensures the maximal value of a critical loading under equality and inequality constraints. In the paper the variational as well as parametrical optimization problems are considered.

Keywords:

• Helical springs
• stability
• tension