Scribd
Upload
54 views

Wilberforce Ref Shear Spring Constant

The document describes how to derive the shear modulus S from the spring constant k. It considers an element of a spring wire that is twisted through an angle when a mass is hung from it. Integrating the stretch dx and twist dθ gives the relationship x=Rθ. Equating the energy stored in the spring using linear and angular terms leads to an expression for the shear modulus S in terms of the spring constant k, radius r, and number of turns N.

Uploaded by

Shubham Jangra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
54 views

Wilberforce Ref Shear Spring Constant

The document describes how to derive the shear modulus S from the spring constant k. It considers an element of a spring wire that is twisted through an angle when a mass is hung from it. Integrating the stretch dx and twist dθ gives the relationship x=Rθ. Equating the energy stored in the spring using linear and angular terms leads to an expression for the shear modulus S in terms of the spring constant k, radius r, and number of turns N.

Uploaded by

Shubham Jangra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Deriving the Shear Modulus S From the Spring Constant k

When a mass is hung from the end of a spring it


produces a torque or couple which has the effect of
producing a uniform twist along its entire length. The
stretching of the spring is due to this twisting of the
spring wire along its entire length. There is a bit of
stretching of the spring due to vertical shear forces
but this is small and may be neglected compared to
the stretching due to twisting.

Consider an element of the wire at any point on the


spring. All elements are equivalent and in the diagram
we consider an element at the bottom left of the
spring (this element is perpendicular to the page).
When an element of spring is twisted through an
angle dθ , the spring which has a radius R is stretched by an amount dx where dx = R d θ as
shown in the diagram. Note that the angle dθ in the diagram is exaggerated for clarity.
x total θtotal

Integrating gives ∫ dx = ∫ Rd θ
0 0

or x total = R θtotal

Since this expression is true for any stretch x, we may drop the subscripts and write
x = Rθ

The energy stored in the spring can be written either in linear terms using the spring constant k
S π r4
or in angular terms using the torsion constant κ given by the formula κ = where S is the
2l
shear modulus of the material that makes up the spring, r is the radius of the wire and l is the
length of the wire that coils to form the spring. Note that κ is the torsion constant of the wire that
coils to form the spring (and not the torsion constant of the spring as a whole.) Using the two
expressions for energy stored in the spring gives
2kx = 2 κθ
1 2 1 2

2
 S π r4   x 
k x =  2
  
 2 l R
S π r4
k =
2 l R2
S π r4
k =
2 (2 π R N ) R 2
where N is the number of turns in the coil. This gives the shear modulus in terms of the spring
4N R 3
constant as S =k
r4

You might also like