5 Torsion Spring Facts

Out of the three types of coil springs, torsion springs seem to be the least popular, nevertheless they are quite important and incredibly necessary in many devices. These type of springs are used in everyday items such at hair clips, clothespins, ramps, and door hinges. Their open/shut (radial) motion carries out a function that cannot be performed by compression or extension springs. That is why we want to share some facts about torsion springs with you today.

1.) Torsion Spring Legs

Torsion springs have legs on the ends because these are where the spring is latched on to be torqued. One could say that torsion springs have the most customizable ends. To begin, torsion springs can be right hand wound or left hand wound. Their legs can have different lengths, angles, and even shapes. This makes them incredibly customizable.

2.) Torsion Spring Materials

Torsion springs can be made of different material types. The most common are music wire and stainless steel, but they can also be made of other material types. Other material types that are somewhat common would be alloy steel wire such as Chrome Silicon. Some less common material types include oil tempered wire, carbon valve, and high tensile hard-drawn

3.) Torsion Spring Applications

As mentioned previously, there are many applications and devices where torsion springs are necessary.

This is a list of the most common torsion spring applications:

• Torsion springs for Pins: clothespins, hairpins or clips, etc.
• Torsion springs for ramps and doors: trailer ramps, garage doors, door hinges etc.
• Torsion springs for Medical applications: torsion springs may be found inside medical devices both big and small.

4.) Torsion spring history

It is believed that during the 1870s there was a locksmith that started building coiled springs. It is around this time that torsion springs started being tested for clocks as these make clockwork mechanism much more efficient.

5.) Torsion Spring Angles

A torsion spring’s free position is determined from the position of the legs, but the position of the legs is determined by the last coil on the spring. Some springs may be at 0º free position, meaning the last coil is a full coil. However, some springs may have a 45º, 90º, 180º, or 270º free position angle. This means that the last coil is not a full coil. It may be half a coil (180º) or 3/4 of a coil (270º). This allows you to determine your spring’s free position and degrees of rotational travel.

Buying torsion springs is fast and easy with our torsion spring creator calculator. Just input the dimension you need, the material you want it to be made of, and the direction of wind and click CALCULATE. You will instantly receive a full spring analysis, a quote at different quantities, and a downloadable blueprint of your torsion spring design. If pricing for the torsion spring you want did not come up, give us a call at: 951-276-2777 and we will be sure to help you out.