Take The Stress Out Of Valve Spring Design & Sourcing
Springtech regularly receive enquiries from valve manufacturers and their maintenance networks requesting an engineering review of springs which are prematurely failing once exposed to in-service working conditions.
The criticality of spring design to overall application performance and reliability is not always recognised, but following some simple actions, at the correct stage in the new product development process, can avoid costly issues once the valve has gone into service.
Spring design priorities
Spring design should be done as early as possible in the new valve project. Springtech often work with manufacturers who request spring quotations towards the end of the development process and are then faced with a compromised design which can have a negative impact on the performance and longevity of the valve.
Springtech can utilise software which not only provides a dimensional and performance specification validation check but will also reveal where a spring design is over-stressed and could cause potential working-life issues.
Correct material selection is critical
Correct material selection for the specific valve application is critical if early in-service failures are to be avoided. Exposure to harsh working environments, especially extremes of temperature and corrosives can severely limit the working life of a spring. Incorrect selection of the optimum material for the specific valve application is one of the most common causes of spring failures seen by Springtech.
The increasing variety of alloys available to spring makers make it possible to closely target the material selection of each spring design to the particular operating conditions a valve is likely to experience in its working life.
Quality, quality, quality
At Springtech, as many of their customers manufacture valves to work in critical applications, they operate a full-lot traceability system for material and finished product. A number of Springtech’s international customers also specify where materials can be sourced from to ensure quality and specification compliance.
A rigorous quality and inspection patrol system is vital if compliance to design specifications is to be maintained, especially over longer production runs. This is particularly true if the spring specification calls for additional operations after coiling, such as heat treatment, rumbling or grinding.
So three simple steps to get the spring you require:
• Validate the design with the spring manufacturer as early as possible
• Check that the material is the optimum choice for the specific application
• Ensure that the manufacturer can deliver production product to the design specification.
Visit the Springtech website for more information on designing springs and selection of materials and product finishing options.
For a free of charge design check for your spring, give the Springtech Design Engineers a call! Take The Stress Out Of Valve Spring Design & Sourcing
Tel: 01494 556 700
Email: enquiries@springs.co.uk
Web: www.springs.co.uk
Published: 16th November 2017
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