A torsion spring is a ribbon, bar, or coil that reacts against twisting motion.
Torsion ribbons are used in torsion pendulum clocks, where a weight is spun, oscillating in its spinning direction at the bottom of the clock. As the resonant period is very long, this mechanism is used in spring wound clocks designed to operate for an entire month or even a year without rewinding. This type of suspension is also used in sensitive devices used to determine constants associated with the gravitational effects of mass.
Torsion bars (or sway bars) are used to support automobile suspension components, allowing those components (which indirectly support the wheels) to move in response to rough roads while allowing a smooth ride in the vehicle. The DeLorean DMC-12 uses cryrogenically cooled torsion bars to assist with the opening of its gull wing doors.
Large coiled torsion springs are used to counter-balance the weight of garagedoors. Great care must be exercised when adjusting these as they store a large amount of mechanical energy.
Small coiled torsion springs are often used to operate small pop-up doors such as are found on small consumer goods such as digital cameras and compact disk players.
One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end terminates in a lever, mounted perpendicular to the bar, that is attached to the axle of the suspension arm or wishbone.
Vertical motion of the wheel causes the bar to rotate along its axis and is resisted by the bar'storsion resistance.
TorsionBarSuspensions are currently used on trucks and SUV's from Ford, GM and Dodge.
Generally, the torsionbars are axially aligned extending in directions generally parallel to the rear axes of the rear wheels and spaced ahead of the rear wheels.
The torsionbars can then be removed from the housing tube 14 and recoupled to the spring plates 20 and 21 in such a manner that when the suspension system is reassembled, there is a pre-twist or bias set into the torsionbars to provide for the greater stiffness of the suepension system.
The overall degree of adjustment of each of the individual torsionbars as a consequence of varying of the extending ends of the bolts 31 and 32 against the underside of the arms 29 and 30 respectively is limited by the width of the slot 26 and the collar 25.
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