Procedure

1. Measure the diameter of the spring wire using a micrometer.
2. Measure the mean diameter of the spring coils using a vernier caliper.
3. Count the number of active turns (coils) of the spring.
4. Place the spring in the spring testing machine. Apply a suitable axial load and record the corresponding compression (or extension) of the spring.
5. Increase the load gradually and record the corresponding deflection for each load increment.
6. Plot a graph between load and deflection. The slope of the graph represents the stiffness (spring constant) of the spring.

Virtual Procedure

1. Start the experiment by clicking the Play button.
2. Observe the compression behaviour of the spring in the simulation window.
3. The observation table displays the spring deflection and calculated stiffness for the selected spring parameters.
4. Modify the spring parameters using the available sliders and observe the corresponding changes in the simulation and observation table.
5. Use the Pause, Play, and Restart controls to observe the effect of different spring parameters at various stages of the simulation.

Note: The graph supports interactive features such as zooming and panning. Hover over the graph toolbar icons to view the function of each control.