TUTORIAL: Relation in Spring Model for ‘Make Flexible’ in Pro/ENGINEER

Version: Pro/E Wildfire, Wildfire2.0, Wildfire3.0, Wildfire4.0

My spring model is not behaved as expected when I use the make flexible function in Pro/ENGINEER. Instead of compressing the spring, my spring reduce the number of coils after applying make flexible function. What should I do?

When you create the helical sweep feature, the pitch dimension is input. So, the pitch size is input as a constant. This is why the number of coils reduced after you compress (shorten) the spring. To overcome, we need to write a relation to set a constant number of coils and let the spring behaves logically.

1. With the spring model opened, click Tools > Relation

 

2. The relations dialog box appears. Next, move your mouse cursor to the spring model display and select the spring. This will make the related dimensions appear on the screen. 

3. After that, from the pops-up menu manager, specify the spring dimension which you want it to be displayed. For this tutorial, pick Profile and Done.

4. The spring dimension’s parameters will now appear. Notice that we can clearly see that the pitch’s dimension is d5 and the spring length is d4. (These parameters may differ in your model, so identify the parameters carefully to write a valid relation)  

5. In the Relation dialog box, write an equation to set a constant number of coils.

PITCH = SPRING LENGTH / NUMBER OF COILS

Equation for this tutorial:
d5 = d4 / 10
(I fix the number of coils to 10 rev)

 

The spring should now working properly when you compress or extent it in assembly.

TUTORIAL: Make Flexible of spring in Pro/E Assembly (coming soon)