Springs

A spring is any elastic body whose function is to collect potential energy by elastic deformation and recover its original shape and dimensions after the removal of the load. The primary purpose of springs in vehicle suspensions is to extend the period over which energy is absorbed and subsequently released. In vehicle applications, the most commonly used springs for suspension systems are helical springs, leaf springs, and torsion bars. Their deformation under loads are either in bending or twisting, and hence, the stored potential strain energy will be made by normal stress in bending or shear stress in torsion. Figure 1.1 illustrates a coil spring.