esearch and development have historically been a core part of what we do as an organisation. Although we have not carried
out new studies for several years, we have always been at the forefront of research for the spring industry – continually striving to provide tools, support and information to improve the quality and standard of springs for everyone. One of our greatest assets is the real-world
predictive data within our software, Spring Calculator Professional (SCP). Those who use it understand its power to predict the behaviour of a spring over time in terms of fatigue cycle life and relaxation estimations. Having listened to our Members and those
who use our software, we quickly saw the need to include more fatigue and relaxation data for specific materials. As such, we are delighted to be undertaking a massive new research project to significantly increase the scope of the predictive data for nickel and cobalt-based alloys. The first stage will focus on: Predicting the
Life of Inconel X750. The data gathered will be added to our software. By expanding on the data offered, we give spring manufacturers the power to make safer and more reliable springs across a broader range of materials. One of our Members, Alloy Wire International
(AWI) has generously donated a considerable amount of wire for this project. So we asked Andrew du Plessis, technical director at AWI,
why they wanted to get involved? "When we were approached by the Institute
of Spring Technology about the possibility of involvement in a research project on exotic spring materials, Alloy Wire International saw this as an opportunity to get involved in something that we felt would help provide invaluable information to the spring making community. “We felt that the data generated from this
project is not only important to the IST and the spring makers who use their software and rely on their support but offers the potential to help further our own understanding of the influence of different conditions of wire supply on spring design and performance. “With this being our 75th year in business,
we have always taken pride in the products that we supply, but we are always looking to further expand our knowledge and expertise so that we are in the best position possible to provide support to our customers, and we felt this offered the perfect opportunity to do just this."
The project as a whole is an exciting one to be involved in, and as it grows over the coming months, we will be looking for more of our Members to collaborate alongside. Our commercial director, Chris Hopkins, comments: "It has been a long time since the IST conducted any meaningful R&D, so we are
absolutely delighted to have the support from our Membership to assist with this project and reignite this part of the business. “I want to give special thanks to Allow Wire
International, based in West Midland's, UK, who have very kindly provided the wire Inconel X750 - Spring Temper. Without this level of support, it would be highly challenging for us to carry out this research. “We will add the data gathered from the
research to the Spring Calculator Professional software. Used by hundreds of companies within the industry from all over the world, it will further enhance the users' experience of the product and will, of course, benefit the spring industry and its supply chain." If you want to find out how you can get
involved with the project, please email Dr Conor McCaughey, R&D Manager at IST, at
conor@ist.org.uk.
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