Self Healing Composites
The main issue with a parts’ life cycle is failure by fatigue which ultimately comes through crack propagation. Step forward fracture mechanics which is a
Category: Engineering Materials
What is Kovar, and where is it used?
Kovar is an iron nickel cobalt alloy with a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of hard glass. This might make sense to those of
Material Selection Made Simple
One of the most common problems a design engineer faces when designing a product is how to select an appropriate material. Selecting a single material
Amazing Materials: Gold
“Eureka! Gold is found!” …though the expression “Eureka” is often attributed to Archimedes, it was likely not he who coined the phrase. The ancient legend says
Materials Spotlight – Graphene
With the 21st century came a new goal: creating lighter materials with more advanced properties. The evolution started with new alloys, continued with polymers, and now
Corrosion Protection of Springs
Where a spring operates in a corrosive environment some form of surface protection is required. Depending on the application, this can take a number of
Thermal design basics: materials and calculations
This article is a basic look at thermal materials that are available today, and general design considerations for thermal design. This article covers thermal conductivity,
Materials for Flat Strip Springs
As with wire, there is a wide range of strip materials available to the spring manufacturer. As many parts produced in strip are not primarily
Spring Wire Materials
Spring materials are chosen for their strength and are amongst the strongest materials used in industry. Springs are designed to work to far greater working
Factors affecting the Fatigue Performance of Helically Wound Springs
Reliability is of great importance to many spring users. Without the spring many applications will either cease to work or work less efficiently. Therefore much
