Gas Springs Design

Body Materials

Manufacturers most often create gas springs using metals like stainless steel and aluminum. Stainless steel gas springs are extremely common, as they can resist corrosion. Manufacturers can also, however, fabricate them using other materials, like EPDM synthetic rubber or polyurethane.

If the application calls for it, manufacturers can coat the spring material with chrome plating or black nitride; such coatings will further protect the spring from the elements.

Gas Material

Usually, manufacturers choose nitrogen or carbon as the gas that passes through the gas spring. Nitrogen gas springs are popular because nitrogen gas is inert, meaning that it is chemically inactive (it won’t react). Carbon gas springs are popular because carbon gas is generally harmless and compatible with industrial manufacturing.

Considerations and Customization

When designing a gas spring, manufacturers must take a number of factors into consideration. These include the amount of gas that is expected to pass through the chamber, the application’s actuation or vibration isolation needs, and the variable pressures and velocities it must tolerate (especially important in machinery and automotive applications).

Based on these considerations and other application requirements, gas spring manufacturers custom design spring features like the size (which depends on the amount of gas that is expected to pass through the chamber), compressed and extended spring lengths, load capacity, max force exertion per minute, maximum cycles per minute, the type of gas they will use in the cylinder, absorber stroke, and working temperatures.

A gas cylinder can be as small as two inches in length, or as large as several feet in length. Likewise, load capacity can range from one-hundred to over eighty thousand pounds. Manufacturers most often customize gas springs in relation to their body material, as the material they use must be able to endure any stresses put on it from the environment it inhabits (heat, cold, moisture, etc.), the chemicals it uses (corrosive chemicals, hazardous chemicals, etc.), and the physical stresses put on it. On top of that, it must be appropriate for the standard requirements of the application. For example, in pharmaceutical manufacturing or in the food industry, the gas springs must be FDA-compliant.