is it possible to over stress spring steal without it fracturing? Like a tortion bar. Do they stretch?

Answer 1

ya you got to be carefule

Answer 2

Torsion bars can't be pulled as their spring action is attained by twisting. There held securely in a bar pocket with an adjusting bolt that either loads more tension or releases it. This is done by an alignment technician to adjust ride height only.

Automotive suspension springs are nothing more than a torsion bar wrapped in a coil. You can "bottom out a spring or torsion bar with out fracturing it. What comes into play however that proper heating and annealing procedures may not be the same form batch to batch. This is where fracture may take place. Rust corrosion and years of use can lead to fracture.

For instance Ford Motor Company had a severe coil spring breakage problem on their Sable and Taurus cars around 2001 - 2002. They tried to cover it up by sliding a shield either outside or inside the coils to protect the tires from tearing apart by the jagged edges of the broken coil spring. Ford finally relented and replaced coil springs on certain date of build groups of cars.


Spring steel usually fractures with age and use. Torsion bars and automotive springs loose tension over time. As you know by twisting thin gage tin or steel Work hardens as you twist it back and forth. Stainless steel of the same thickness takes much longer to fracture because it's much softer material. A simple hardness tester will bare this out.