Helical compression springs have been used widely in various industries from automotive, aerospace and construction to electronics and medical devices. In the automotive industry, they appear in many places such as suspension, valvetrain, etc., as well in the discharge check valve of Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) pump, which is the subject of study due to a recent fracture in lab testing.
A theoretical study is conducted first to establish the equation governing spring dynamic motion under impact velocity, which can be in high magnitude with surging shock wave along spring axis. A new spring shock wave equation is developed for spring axial motion coupled with coil torsional effect. This newly derived shock wave equation has a broader term than the classic spring formula found in most engineering books. In this paper, it shows that the classic spring shock wave equation is only a special case for the general wave equation newly discovered. Then, a theoretical formula on spring shock wave propagation speed and natural frequency are presented, validated by a numerical simulation result by FEA on the spring natural frequency.
Next, a FEA tool is employed to study the spring system under transient impact velocity, the spring dynamic stress at fracture location is obtained. It compares closely with the analytical approximate solution. Finally, a fatigue life assessment is performed, back up by the fractured part photo as well as the fatigue life cycles observed in testing. They are found in good agreement.