Walt Sherrill
New member
dahermit said:According to the source you sited, springs, being "high carbon steel", are BRITTLE metal, not DUCTILE metal.
Where did YOU read that springs are HIGH carbon steel? If you read other sources, you'll find that high carbon steels are relatively brittle and break rather than bend. Springs are generally made using alloys and stainless steel (which is an alloy) -- which is often used in gun springs -- while it can have a relatively high carbon content, is also an alloy with surprising characteristics that offset the brittleness seen in most high-carbon steels. The source I cited said the following information, and I've underlined the important parts:
Some metals (such as stainless steel and many other alloys) yield under stress. It allows them to bend, or deform, without breaking. Other metals, such as cast iron, fracture and break quickly under stress. Even stainless steel, however, finally weakens and breaks under enough stress.
Metals such as low carbon steel bend rather than breaking under stress. At a certain level of stress, however, they reach a well-understood "yield point." Once they reach the yield point, the metal becomes "strain hardened." It means that more stress is required to deform the metal any further. The metal becomes less ductile, or bendable. In one sense, this makes the metal harder. But while strain hardening makes it harder for the metal to deform, it also makes the metal more brittle. Brittle metal can break, or fail, quite easily.
Metals such as low carbon steel bend rather than breaking under stress. At a certain level of stress, however, they reach a well-understood "yield point." Once they reach the yield point, the metal becomes "strain hardened." It means that more stress is required to deform the metal any further. The metal becomes less ductile, or bendable. In one sense, this makes the metal harder. But while strain hardening makes it harder for the metal to deform, it also makes the metal more brittle. Brittle metal can break, or fail, quite easily.
That same article, when addressing BRITTLE STEELS, says:
Some metals are intrinsically brittle, which means they are particularly liable to fracture. Brittle metals include medium and high carbon steels. Unlike ductile materials, these metals do not have a well-defined yield point. Instead, when they reach a certain stress level, they break.
Wikipedia says the following with regard to spring steel:
These steels are generally low-alloy manganese, medium-carbon steel or high-carbon steel with a very high yield strength. This allows objects made of spring steel to return to their original shape despite significant deflection or twisting.
Coil spring do a lot of bending and twisting, so while some springs might have a relatively high carbon steel content, stainless steel is an alloy mixed with other metals that offset the high carbon . Stainless steel is apparently used in gun springs because of its greater rust/corrosion resistance -- as a rusting spring loses it physical integrity more quickly than one that doesn't rust.
Stainless Steel seems to include a number of components, tweaked to address the specific needs of the task at hand:
- Iron - Very strong, very corrosive. ...
- Chromium - Highly non-corrosive. ...
- Nickel - Soft, some corrosion resistance. ...
- Manganese - Binds steel alloys together, reducing brittleness and cracking.
- Copper - Soft, conducts heat and electricity. ...
- Carbon - Strong, corrosive.
http://www.whitesounddefense.com/pages/Gun-Spring-Materials.html
In general, the greatest danger to guns springs is corrosion. Springs are typically the thinnest metal in the firearm and as such they are extremely vulnerable to catastrophic failure from corrosion. This is why when design parameters allow for it, the best choice for firearm springs that are expected to function in the field is a stainless steel.
The US military has been using stainless magazine springs for quite a while because they get the job done and survive being in the field better than any other material. When possible we select high grade stainless for our weapon springs for the same reasons. We are designing parts to survive a field environment.
The US military has been using stainless magazine springs for quite a while because they get the job done and survive being in the field better than any other material. When possible we select high grade stainless for our weapon springs for the same reasons. We are designing parts to survive a field environment.
If you have other sources, particularly ones that suggest a different interpretation, please share them with us.
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