Optimal design of ring springs for shock absorbers

The classical design process of ring springs is based on well-established relationships available in textbooks and is performed in a trial-and-error fashion. By capitalizing on those standard equations, this article illustrates a step-by-step optimization procedure, which simplifies the design task and gives evidence of all possible solutions. The procedure starts from the high-level design specifications and identifies the optimal dimensions of the spring that minimize the number of rings compatible with all the design constraints. A numerical example is provided for a case study, showing the possibility to visualize the overall design space through an insightful pictorial representation.