Spring constant of fibre-reinforced plastics circular springs embedded with nickel–titanium alloy wire

This paper demonstrates, theoretically and experimentally, the feasibility of utilizing nickel–titanium alloy wires in altering the spring rates of a composite circular ring. Three-dimensional finite element analysis has been employed to study the transverse shearing effects. Reduction in spring stiffness at elevated temperatures can be prevented by inclusion of nickel–titanium alloy wire in the composite structure. The relationships between the spring stiffness at different temperatures and geometry were illustrated.