Our customer manufactures heavy-duty construction machinery. The suspension systems on its heavy vehicles were wearing out and failing too early. The result was frequent maintenance, machines standing idle, and unhappy end customers.
Objective
The goal was to improve the life and resilience of the suspension systems, and in particular the performance of the compression springs used in them.
How Heavy-Duty Springs Fail
Compression springs in heavy equipment usually fail in one of two ways. They crack from fatigue after many load cycles, or they take a permanent set and become shorter, so the suspension sags. Both come from the same cause: the stress in the wire is too high for the material and the number of cycles it has to survive. A lasting fix has to deal with that cause.
Our Solution
Analysis and Collaboration
We began with a thorough analysis of what the machines demand of their suspension and how the existing springs were failing. Together with the customer’s engineers, we defined what the new compression springs needed: the ability to carry extreme loads in continuous use without losing their integrity.
Material and Design
We selected a high-grade, fatigue-resistant steel alloy for its strength and durability. The spring design was then optimized to spread stress evenly through the coils and reduce the risk of deformation under heavy loads.
Manufacturing and Testing
The springs were produced to tight tolerances with consistent quality from part to part. They then went through a series of tests, including load testing and endurance testing, to confirm they meet the requirements of heavy-duty construction use.
Results
- The suspension systems lasted significantly longer.
- Maintenance requirements and downtime both came down, and so did the maintenance cost of the suspension.
- End users reported a noticeable improvement in the reliability of the machines.
Follow-Up
The project led to an ongoing partnership. We are now looking with the same customer at other machine components that could benefit from custom springs.
What This Project Shows
For heavy equipment, the cheapest spring is the one that does not have to be replaced. A design that starts from the real loads and the real failure mode costs a little more engineering time and saves a great deal of downtime.
If your equipment needs heavy-duty springs, send us your load data or drawing through the contact page, or see our custom compression springs.
