Spring steel is a name given to a wide range of
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...
s used in the manufacture of different products, including swords, saw blades, springs and many more. These steels are generally
low-alloy manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of ...
,
medium-carbon steel or
high-carbon steel with a very high
yield strength
In materials science and engineering, the yield point is the point on a stress-strain curve that indicates the limit of elastic behavior and the beginning of plastic behavior. Below the yield point, a material will deform elastically and wi ...
. This allows objects made of
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...
steel to return to their original shape despite significant deflection or twisting.
Grades
Many grades of steel can be hardened and tempered to increase elasticity and resist deformation; however, some steels are inherently more elastic than others:
Applications
* Applications include
piano wire
Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano strings but also in other applications as springs. It is made from tempered high-carbon steel, also known as spring steel, which replaced iron as the material ...
(also known as
music wire
Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano strings but also in other applications as springs. It is made from tempered high-carbon steel, also known as spring steel, which replaced iron as the material ...
) such as
ASTM A228 (0.80–0.95% carbon),
spring clamps,
antennas,
springs (e. g. vehicle coil springs or leaf springs), and s-tines.
* Spring steel is commonly used in the manufacture of swords with rounded edges for training or stage combat,
as well as sharpened swords for collectors and live combat.
* Spring steel is one of the most popular materials used in the fabrication of
lockpicks due to its pliability and resilience.
* Tubular spring steel is used in the landing gear of some small aircraft due to its ability to absorb the impact of landing.
* It is frequently used in the making of
knives, machetes, and other edged tools.
* It is used in electrical fish tapes.
* It is used in
binder clips.
*Used extensively in shims due to its resistance to deformation in low thicknesses.
See also
*
Martensite
Martensite is a very hard form of steel crystalline structure. It is named after German metallurgist Adolf Martens. By analogy the term can also refer to any crystal structure that is formed by diffusionless transformation.
Properties
M ...
References
Bibliography
*{{cite book
, first = Erik
, last = Oberg
, author2=Franklin D. Jones , author3=Holbrook L. Horton , author4=Henry H. Ryffel
, year = 2000
, title =
Machinery's Handbook
, editor = Christopher J. McCauley , editor2=Riccardo Heald , editor3=Muhammed Iqbal Hussain
, edition = 26th
, publisher = Industrial Press Inc
, location = Ratnagiri
, isbn = 0-8311-2635-3
Steels
Springs (mechanical)