Analysis of NonMagnetic Spring Plate

A nonlinear spring plate is a complex formed geometry, which acts as a momentary contact switch by snap through behavior. Nonlinear spring plates have a large number of applications in the medical, military, aviation and electronics industries. Spring plates are normally manufactured from 301 stainless steel. Since spring plates made of such materials could alter their behavior in a magnetic environment, nonmagnetic materials have been studied in this work as a potential candidate for nonlinear spring plates operating in magnetic conditions. Upon analyzing the magnetic properties of several materials, it was found that grade 5titanium alloy and aluminum bronze are potential candidates to replace the magnetic material of nonlinear spring plates. Observing the force-displacement curves it was found that titanium alloy has the lowest trip force compared to other materials. However, fatigue analysis of the spring plates revealed that titanium alloy has the lowest life cycle compared to other materials, which agrees with the testing performed by the manufacturer. Finite element analysis has been performed to investigate the lower life cycle of titanium alloy spring plates