The nature and characteristic properties of springs

All solid bodies possess varying degrees of elasticity or springiness, which means the tendency to return to their original shape after being deformed by external forces. This property is the essence of a spring. Springs, in the stricter sense, refer to devices that are specifically designed through appropriate shaping and the use of highly elastic materials to convert mechanical work into potential energy through their elastic deformation and then back into mechanical work. This gives springs the ability to store energy, to cushion impacts, to dampen or control moving masses, and, due to the lawful relationship between force and deformation, to measure force.