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Coefficients for actual spring-mass-damper system

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  Coefficients for actual spring-mass-damper system Christopher Howard <christopher@librehacker.com> - 2025-12-18 15:18 -0900
    Re: Coefficients for actual spring-mass-damper system John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2025-12-18 19:29 -0600
      Re: Coefficients for actual spring-mass-damper system John Hasler <john@sugarbit.com> - 2025-12-19 08:17 -0600

#894795 — Coefficients for actual spring-mass-damper system

Hi, I am playing around with model spring-mass-damper systems on my
analog computer. I was wanting, for comparison purposes, to make an
actual system with a spring and a mass. But I am a little confused how I
would know what the damping coefficient and spring coefficient is for
any given spring, as that doesn't seem to be listed for any springs I
can purchase on the Internet. Is there some catalog of springs out there
that lists those coefficients, or a way to calculate them from some
other listed parameter, or a practical way to measure them?

-- 
Christopher Howard

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#894797

Spring catalogs will list nominal spring constants but there's lots of
variation.  Better to measure your particular spring.  As far as I know
nobody publishes damping coefficients.  You could compute them from the
spring dimensions and the material properties but I don't think that
would be very accurate.

You can measure the spring constant by measuring the spring, applying a
known force, and measuring again.  The spring constant is the force
divided by the change in length.

Knowing the spring constant you can then hang a mass from it, start it
oscillating, measure the period and decay time constant, and calculate
the damping coefficient.  That way you would be including the effects of
the air.  Hang it from something rigid and massive, of course.
-- 
John Hasler 
john@sugarbit.com
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA

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#894800

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_oscillator#Damped_harmonic_oscillator

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass-spring-damper_model
-- 
John Hasler 
john@sugarbit.com
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA

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