Compression Springs are open-coil helical springs wound or constructed to oppose compression along the axis of wind. Helical Compression is the most common metal spring configuration. These coil springs can work independently, though often assembled over a guide rod or fitted inside a hole. When you put a load on a compression coil spring, making it shorter, it pushes back against the load and tries to get back to its original length. Compression springs offer resistance to linear compressing forces (push), and are in fact one of the most efficient energy storage devices available.
The amount of energy stored in a compression spring is determined by the spring’s material properties, wire diameter, and number of coils. The spring’s rate, or stiffness, is determined by the wire diameter and the number of coils. The spring’s rate is the change in force per unit change in length, and it is measured in pounds per inch or newtons per millimeter. The spring’s rate can be adjusted by varying the wire diameter or the number of coils.
