In fact, the service life of a clutch spring is related to its fatigue strength, and there are various factors that affect the fatigue strength of the spring. Therefore, to better ensure the service life of the clutch spring, it is necessary to address all these factors. So, what are the factors that affect the fatigue level of the clutch spring? Next, the professional technicians from Tianbo Automobile will elaborate on this for everyone, so that everyone can have a better understanding.
The main factors affecting the fatigue strength of clutch springs are:
1. Yield strength

There is a certain relationship between the yield strength and fatigue limit of materials. Generally speaking, the higher the yield strength of a material, the higher its fatigue strength. Therefore, in order to improve the fatigue strength of a spring, efforts should be made to increase the yield strength of the spring material, or to use materials with a high ratio of yield strength to tensile strength. For the same material, fine-grained structures exhibit higher yield strength than coarse-grained structures.     

2. Size effect
The larger the material size, the higher the likelihood of defects caused by various cold and hot working processes, and the greater the possibility of surface defects. These factors all contribute to a decrease in fatigue performance. Therefore, the influence of size effect should be considered when calculating the fatigue strength of springs.   
3. Corrosive medium
When a spring operates in a corrosive medium, pitting corrosion occurs on its surface or the surface grain boundaries are corroded, becoming fatigue sources. Under variable stress, these sources gradually expand and lead to fracture. For example, the fatigue limit of spring steel operating in fresh water is only 10% to 25% of that in air. The impact of corrosion on the fatigue strength of a spring is not only related to the number of times the spring is subjected to variable loads, but also to its working life. Therefore, when designing and calculating springs affected by corrosion, the working life should be taken into account.   

For springs operating under corrosive conditions, to ensure their fatigue strength, materials with high corrosion resistance, such as stainless steel and non-ferrous metals, can be used, or protective layers can be applied to the surface, such as plating, oxidation, powder coating, painting, etc. Practice has shown that cadmium plating can greatly enhance the fatigue limit of springs.    
4. Temperature
The fatigue strength of carbon steel decreases from room temperature to 120℃, then increases from 120℃ to 350℃, and decreases again when the temperature exceeds 350℃. There is no fatigue limit at high temperatures. For springs operating under high-temperature conditions, heat-resistant steel should be considered. At temperatures below room temperature, the fatigue limit of steel increases.
The above are several key factors affecting the fatigue strength of clutch springs. Have you understood them today? Of course, besides the above points, the fatigue strength of springs is also affected by other factors such as surface condition and metallurgical defects, which will not be elaborated here. If you want to know more, feel free to call us directly for consultation. We will definitely provide you with the most professional answers!