Derivation of the Extended Elastic Stiffness Formula of the Holddown Spring Assembly Comprised of Several Leaves

Based on the Euler beam theory and the elastic strain energy method, the elastic stiffness formula of the holddown spring assembly consisting of several leaves was previously derived. Even though the previous formula was known to be useful to estimate the elastic stiffness of the holddown spring assembly, recently it was reported that the elastic stiffness from the previous formula deviated greatly from the test results as the number of leaves was increased. The objective of this study is to extend the previous formula in order to resolve such an increasing deviation when increasing the number of leaves. Additionally, considering the friction forces acting on the interfaces between the leaves, we obtained an extended elastic stiffness formula. The characteristic test and the elastic stiffness analysis on the various kinds of specimens of the holddown spring assembly have been carried out; the validity of the extended formula has been verified by the comparison of their results. As a result of comparisons, it is found that the extended formula is able to evaluate the elastic stiffness of the holddown spring assembly within the maximum error range of + 12%, irrespective of the number of the leaves.