Analysis of the Mechanical Characteristicsof Torsion Spring for Overrunning Clutch under Exponentially Distributed Loads and Continuous Boundary Constraints

Abstract

As a torsion element, the analysis of mechanical characteristics of torsion springs is critical to clutch design. This
paper investigates the stress and deformation of torsion springs of spring-overrunning clutches by means of spatial
curved beam theory, which fully takes account for the geometric nonlinearity and the initial curvature of the spring.
The geometry of the spring before and after deformation is described by two Euler angles and three coordinate
systems. Load and displacement constraints of torsion springs under real clutch operating conditions are analyzed
and incorporated into the spring stress and deformation analysis. The numerical solution of this boundary value
problem is carried out by the multiple shooting method and proved to be accurate by comparison. Moreover, this
paper presents a method for calculating the torsional stiffness of springs, which can be applied to the analysis of
torsional springs with irregular dimensions.