The Properties of Spring Steel Strip
Spring steel is strong, durable and easy to work with. It’s ideal for creating clips and fasteners that hold things together.
Edge dressing is important for handling safety when using the springs. This is because sheared edges can be hazardous to end applications. Edging also improves the fatigue-resistance of the springs.
Tensile Strength
Spring steel is highly resilient and can withstand a great deal of twisting, compressing, or bending without losing its shape. It also has high fatigue resistance, meaning it can withstand repeated stress or cyclical load cycles that would quickly fatigue other alloys. Because of this, it is ideal for creating springs that will be constantly compressed or extended and reshaped.
It is typically a medium- to high-carbon steel that has been hardened by heat treatment and tempered to reduce its brittleness. The hardening process is usually done by heating the steel to a very hot temperature, then cooling it in water or oil. The process can also be achieved through work hardening, which involves hammering or rolling the metal to create small pockets of hardness.
The hardness of spring steel is what makes it so resilient and able to handle a lot of strain without deforming. The steel will have a high yield strength, which is the amount of pressure it can withstand before permanently deforming. This allows it to resist the bending and twisting that is required to make springs.
The tensile strength of spring steel can be increased through the use of shot peening. This type of finish is applied to the steel using a shot, which contains ceramic or glass, metallic particles, or other debris. It is believed to increase the lifespan of the material by up to 10 times.
Elongation
The elongation of spring steel is the measure of how much it can stretch before it begins to break. This is an important factor in creating springs, since the more a material can be stretched before it breaks, the greater its lifespan will be.
This property is also determined by the composition and hardening of the metal. High-quality spring steel alloys can be subjected to considerable twisting and bending without suffering any distortion. They can even be bent back and forth repeatedly, unlike other types of alloys that would fatigue under similar conditions.
In addition to this flexibility, spring steel has a comparably high fatigue strength. This makes it blue spring steel strip ideal for applications that require the ability to endure repeated stress, such as automotive springs.
Another interesting characteristic of this type of alloy is its resistance to corrosion. This is due to the high chromium content, which helps it withstand oxidation and resist corrosion from various acids. It’s also highly machinable, making it easy to cut into the desired shape of your product.
Spring steel strip is available with a variety of finishes, which can be applied for aesthetic enhancement or rust prevention. For example, you can have your 301 stainless spring strip passivated, which does away with iron and its compounds that corrode the surface. You can also choose to have it cold rolled, which gives it more consistency and smoothness, or hot rolled for increased workability and dimensional stability.
Corrosion Resistance
Corrosion resistance is an important property of spring steel. It can resist corrosion in many environments and can withstand high stresses without breaking. It is also good at withstanding cyclical loads that can fatigue other alloys.
Alloying the steel with elements like chromium or nickel can greatly improve its corrosion resistance. These elements form a protective oxide layer that acts as a barrier against corrosive agents. Surface coatings can also improve the corrosion resistance of spring steel. Hot-dip galvanizing and electroplating can provide a durable, protective coating. Tinplate steel plate manufacturer Passivation is another method that can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of spring steel.
Stainless Type 302 (chromium, 8 percent nickel): This grade has the highest tensile strength of the austenitic grades and can withstand temperatures up to 550 degF and sub-zero conditions. It has good elongation and corrosion resistance, and it can be cold-drawn after heat treatment to obtain its spring properties.
Spring steel strip can be packaged in a variety of ways, including oscillated wound coils and ribbon wound strips. The type of packaging you choose will depend on your application and the requirements of your fabrication shop. Oscillated wound coils may be easier to unroll, but ribbon wound strip can be more cost-effective for shorter runs. Both types of packaging can be supplied in a wide range of widths and thicknesses.
Durability
The durability of spring steel strip is due to the material being able to retain its shape after it has been bent or stretched. This is important when it comes to making components that are subject to significant amounts of stress and pressure, as they will need to be able to handle these stresses without breaking or becoming permanently deformed.
This durability is also important for making parts that are going to be used in environments where they may be exposed to extreme temperatures or other environmental conditions. Springs made of spring steel can withstand high levels of heat, and they can also hold up to repeated stress and pressure that would quickly fatigue other materials.
For example, the metal that makes up piano wire is made from spring steel. It needs to be able to be pulled taught and still hold up when the pianist is pounding away at the keys. This tensile strength and pliability is what allows this type of steel to be the choice for musicians around the world.
RMP carries high quality spring steel strip that is ideal for all of your manufacturing needs. We stock 301 stainless in both full hard and extra hard tempers. This is an excellent material for a wide range of room temperature springs. For applications that require higher tensile strengths we also offer 301Si, which has an increased silicon content for high-strength constant force springs.