OS-E: 0195 Compression of Helical Springs using Self-Contact

This example explains how to use the self-contact to simulate the spring compression.

Model Files

Before you begin, copy the file(s) used in this example to your working directory.

Model Description

The helical spring is of 3.10 mm cross sectional radius, pitch of 16.5 mm, coil height of 102.5 mm consisting of CHEXA elements of average element size of 1.0 mm. An enforced displacement of 52 mm in negative Y-direction is applied on the top cross-sectional face of the spring and at the bottom face, the constraints of DOF 1-6 is applied. A contact secondary surface is created for the outer surface of the spring. Self-contact can be defined by defining same ID for both secondary and main.

The material properties are:
Young's Modulus
210 x 103 MPa
Poisson's Ratio
0.3
Initial Density
7.9 x 10-3 ton/mm3

Results

Figure 1. Displacement Contour for the Helical Spring Compression


A maximum displacement of 52.103 mm is observed at the node 32017 for the spring, due to the enforced displacement. A von Mises stress of 6923.392 MPa is observed at the element 17345.
Figure 2. von Mises Stress Contour for the Helical Spring Compression