Spring Manufacturing with Torsion Bars

Torsion Bars

A torsion bar is typically round in shape. However torsion bars can come in square, rectangular and oval cross-sections. A torsion bar’s “strength” is relative to its cross-section size, material tensile, and torsion bar length. In short, to make a torsion bar weaker, make the cross-section smaller, make it longer, or use material with a weaker tensile strength. The opposite is also true. A torsion bar is made stronger by using a larger cross-section, make it shorter, or use a material with a stronger tensile strength.

A torsion bar that is coiled is a spring. The strength of a spring is determined by the wire cross-section, the length of the wire (which in a spring is the number of coils and the outside diameter) and the wire’s tensile strength. So a spring is simply a series of many small torsion bars.

The rate of a torsion bar is the amount of force produced by the torsion bar when the torsion bar is moved one inch from its free position. Example; A torsion bar made of .125” music wire that is 2” long, produces approximately 2.5 pounds of force at 1 inch of deflection has a rate of 2.5 pounds (2.5 pounds of force / 1 inch of deflection = 2.5 pounds per inch).

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