Geometrical characterization of canted coil springs

Abstract

This article presents a geometrical description of canted coil springs as a particular type of space curve. The influence of the canted angle on the geometrical curvature and torsion is investigated in order to characterize the three-dimensional geometry of the springs. Geometrical descriptions of helical spring rings generated by joining together the two ends of a rectilinear-axis spring as well as several types of spring rings, obtained from rectilinear-axis canted coil springs, are proposed. To create such ring geometries, conservation of length of wire is assumed and approximate relations are derived in order to simplify computations. These geometrical descriptions are then applied to generate appropriate three-dimensional models. Such models can be further imported to computer-aided design and finite-element analysis programmes in order to estimate the mechanical response of such springs.