It is commonly believed that furniture spring systems are far more durable and friendly to use than foam systems. The aim of this research project was to design and realise models of individual auxetic compression springs and determine their resistance to cyclic as well as prolonged static loads. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research Article Turk J Agric For (2013) 37: 369-376 © TÜBİTAK doi: Auxetic springs for seating Jerzy SMARDZEWSKI* Department of Furniture Design, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: It is commonly believed that furniture spring systems are far more durable and friendly to use than foam systems. The aim of this research project was to design and realise models of individual auxetic compression springs and determine their resistance to cyclic as well as prolonged static loads. The study was conducted using numerical calculations and verification of results by laboratory experiments. The results of the performed investigations made it possible to conclude that the designed spring had stiffness characteristics similar to the compression characteristics of polyurethane foams. Cyclical and prolonged static loads have no significant influence on changes in spring heights; their impact on the comfort of seating is insignificant. New construction of springs guaranteed the auxetic properties of systems made up of many parallel-joined spring systems. Due to such properties, seats designed using auxetic springs can exhibit high comfort levels in comparison with traditional systems made of wire springs or foams. Key words: Auxetic structures, numerical analysis, seating, silicon model, spring 1. Introduction Spring systems used in furniture are universally considered to be much more resilient and user-friendly than foam systems. However, the literature on the subject is primarily dominated by research articles dealing with issues associated with the selection, modelling, and stiffness analysis of seating made from conventional foams (Chow and Odell 1994; Ferrarin et al. 2000; Ebe and Griffin 2001; Gonget al. 2005; Linder-Ganz et al. 2005; Schrodt et
