A Brief History of Steel Springs
Although Tennessee Spring and Metal has been around since 1963, we’re spring chickens in the history of springs and metal spring manufacturing.
What’s a Spring?
That’s an easy one: it’s a dynamic object — elastic, some might say — that stores mechanical energy. Did you know that more than 90% of mechanically produced goods require steel springs?
The most common types of springs are compression springs, extension, torsion springs, and wire forms. They’re generally made from sprung steel and they’re used in objects ranging from jewelry to cars and attic doors to your favorite recliner.
Old As the Bow (and Arrow)
Before metal could be formed into what we now call compression springs, the spring principle was put into play with the bow and arrow — which is thought by many to be one of the earliest examples of spring technology. Some spring experts claim that the history of springs dates back to the upper Paleolithic and Mesolitic Era, approximately 10,000 years ago (archeryhistorian.com). Others say it’s prehistoric, as bone arrow points have been dated back as far as 61,000 (Britannica.com).
Age Before Beauty
Still others claim that the first ever springs were used in prehistoric jewelry found in Europe and Asia.
The Pre-Modern Spring
About the father of springs, ThoughtCo writes, “Robert Hooke was perhaps the single greatest experimental scientist of the 17th century, responsible for developing a concept hundreds of years ago that would result in coil springs that are still used widely today.”
Hooke, who considered himself more of a philosopher than an inventor, conceived of what would become known as Hooke’s Law when inspecting the pores or cells in a specimen of cork tree.
Hooke’s Law, discovered by our cork-loving philosopher, in 1660, states that, for relatively small deformations of an object, the displacement or size of the deformation is directly proportional to the deforming force or load. Under these conditions the object returns to its original shape and size upon removal of the load.
Elastic behavior of solids, according to Hooke’s Law, can be explained by the fact that small displacements of their constituent molecules, atoms, or ions from normal positions is also proportional to the force that causes the displacement (Britannica.com).
Modern Springs
Coiled springs were developed in the early fifteenth century. By replacing the system of weights that commonly powered clocks with a wound spring mechanism, clockmakers (madehow.com) were able to develop fashionable, pocket-sized timepieces. In 1763, thе fіrѕt соіl ѕрrіng wаѕ раtеntеd bу R. Trаdwеll. His invention wаѕ соnѕіdеrеd a hugе аdvаnсеmеnt frоm lеаf ѕрrіngѕ becasue thеу dіdn’t nееd tо bе ѕрrеаd араrt оr lubrісаtеd.
In the eighteenth century, during the Industrial Revolution, spring manufacturing sprung forward as it became easier to quickly manufacture springs in a relatively short period of time. Patents were quickly secured for new spring making equipment — the principles of which (hand winding, tapered and conical springs, adjustable spring winders, large-diameter coilers, etc . . .) are still in use today. Take a look at our spring manufacturing capabilities.
For more information about Tennessee Spring and Metal, contact us at 1-800-497-3545 or email us at info@tennesseespring.com.
Tennessee Spring and Metal is AS9100 Rev D, ISO 9001:2015 certified.