The Manual on Design and Application of Helical and Spiral Springs was Originally published in 1943 under the title "Manual on Design and Application of Helical Springs for Ordnance" at the behest of the U.S. Ordnance Department. The wide accep- tance of the manual has resulted in five revisions over the years. In 1982, SI units were incorporated in accordance with SAE Technical Board Standards.

In the latest revision, the basic layout of the manual is unchanged. However, some of the tables have been changed in Chapters 2 and 4, and entire sections have been rewritten in Chapters 2,4, and 5.

As in previous editions, the Spring Committee wishes to emphasize that the manual is not encyclopedic in coverage but is confined to a concise and simple account of the essentials involved in the design and application of helical and spiral springs. It is presented in the hope that it will be helpful to the engineer and the designer in two ways: as a means toward the better appreciation of the nature of the spring problems that one encounters in one's work, and more specifically as a ready ref- erence and guide.

I wish to thank the members of the Spring Committee and the Coil Spring Subcommittee for their help and guidance in this latest revision of the manual, which would not have been pos- sible without their contributions.