Springs in the Best Things
Springs play a vital part in a whole host of useful and interesting items in our day to day lives – just how much have these discoveries shaped our culture?
Here at European Springs we work hard to deliver a huge variety of spring types for a number of applications. From car suspension to trampolines, springs are a crucial part of everyday mechanics. Using the latest cutting edge technology, we are able to bend and shape steel wires into almost any form we want; whether it’s a torsion spring for a mousetrap, or something a little more impressive. With this in mind, here is a short list of interesting items that require precision spring technology.
Left in Suspense
Ever since the Bronze Age, springs have been implemented into a great deal of every day items. In the 16th century, Robert Hooke made his career through a startling discovery – the relative change in the dimensions of a coil spring is proportional to the stress (F = KX). This makes coil springs ideal for car suspension. When you’re driving across a bumpy road and the car reaches a sudden dip, the springs absorb the energy and the deflect it proportionately back up, preventing damage to the car.
Time to Learn Something New
Ever since Nicolaus Copernicus first theorized that it was in fact the Earth that circulated the Sun, understanding of mechanical time has shaped our culture in the most profound way. The addition of the balance spring, developed by Robert Hooke, meant that portable timepieces like pocket-watches became vastly more reliable. Eventually the technique was perfected with the addition of a regulator lever and made into exquisite time pieces which we have come to rely on heavily.
Heavy Information
For a truly impressive feat of mechanics, take a look at what makes a gravity sensor tick – zero-length springs. Zero length springs are manufactured with built-in tension – a helical spring whose turns press against each other when there is no force on the spring. You can see the basic premise of how a gravity sensor works in the above illustration, or by clicking on the provided link. Changes in gravity cause a substantial movement in the spring allowing for measurement of force.
For more fascinating facts about springs and their uses, visit our Facebook page for regular updates on European Springs. Our catalogue is available free to download so you can stay up to date on the latest spring news around the world.
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