Your Guide to Gas Struts

The reason it stays put is due to gas struts, the unsung heroes in everyday life. Gas struts not only spare you a bump on the head, but they also spare your car damage when you close the boot by controlling the force with which the car boot shuts.

In this quick guide to gas struts, we explain how gas struts work, their place in various industries, and how finding them through Acorn can help you make quick repairs when you need them.

Find your gas strut solution

Key Takeaways:

• Gas Struts are useful tools which allow doors, cabinets, windows, car boots, and more to open smoothly, and stay open.

• A range of gas struts are available, with lower force gas struts an option for everyday use, and heavy duty gas struts available for industrial machinery.

• Heavy duty gas struts are used across a range of industries, like the automotive, aerospace, marine, and agricultural industries.

• Heavy duty gas struts offer extremely high load capacities, are exceptionally durable, and can have their force output customised.

• You’ll find standard gas struts in everyday items like cellar doors, kitchen cabinets, car bonnets, and pop-up beds.

• If you need to replace your gas strut, you should consider a range of options, including:

  • The load weight you need to support.

  • The stroke length required.

  • The work environment.

  • The material or finish required.

  • Whether the strut is suitable for installation with your machine.

• Maintain gas struts by giving them regular wipe downs, using lubrication on moving parts, checking regularly for damage or leaks, and reading the manufacturer’s manual.

• Gas struts come in a range of materials, including stainless steel, aluminium, and carbon steel.

• Speak to Acorn for your heavy duty gas strut needs and advice.

What is a gas strut?

Gas struts or gas springs can be used for any application where there’s a need to control the speed of movement – they can be found in objects such as garage doors, luggage holders, extendable arms on a lamp and height-adjustable furniture. 

In certain industries like the press tooling industry, much larger gas springs are found in machines used in industrial manufacturing, where the forces they are required to exert often range from 2500N to 400,000N (Forty tonnes).

The basic gas spring consists of three parts

The rod: This is where force will be applied to the spring. The rod is attached to the piston, so the energy applied to the rod will control the piston.

The piston: Like the plunger on a syringe, the piston pushes the gas in the gas strut, causing it to compress. The piston has holes in it so that gas can flow on either side of it.

The housing tube: The housing tube contains the piston and is filled with compressed gas, in most cases, nitrogen. This tube is completely sealed to prevent any loss of gas.

How does a gas spring work?

With a car boot, when you push down on it, you apply pressure on the rod, which pushes the piston forward. 

By having holes in the piston, the gas flows on both sides, however the gas is still being compressed by the rod now occupying the space that was filled with gas. The gas being compressed on both sides of the piston means that it controls the rate at which you shut the boot. When you open the boot, the compressed gas pushes the rod out of the housing and helps you lift the boot door.

How are gas struts used in industry?

Across all industries, the key to success is to get the production process so well timed and so accurate that it minimises the cost of both production and labour while still maintaining a high level of quality. The production line may be made up of hundreds of parts, big and small, and it is vital to ensure that they all work together perfectly to allow for efficient production. This is why heavy-duty gas struts are needed for many engineering processes. Heavy-duty gas struts are used to prevent and absorb compression in a process, giving structural support to the machine. 

The strut will keep two components separate from each other without bending or breaking under pressure, and absorbs shock and dampens the effect of the shock on the surrounding machinery, allowing it to function without any complicated issues arising. Gas struts come in a variety of styles and in every size to allow businesses to create and adapt machinery that is perfect for their production process.

Where are heavy-duty gas struts used?

Heavy-duty gas struts have a range of applications across many industries, including:

The Automotive Sector: Larger vehicles like trucks, buses and agricultural machinery use heavy-duty gas struts to lift and support large tailgates, bonnets, and other larger parts of vehicles to ensure they open and close smoothly and safely.

Aerospace: Heavy-duty gas struts are often used on aeroplanes to support heavy doors. Gas struts play a pivotal role in ensuring that aircraft are kept airtight, and as such, should always be maintained accordingly.

Marine: Large doors and hatches for ships and submarines will rely on heavy-duty gas struts to support the weight of the hatch, and to once again keep the vessel air-tight.

Industrial Machinery: Heavy machinery like cranes and various MEWPs will rely on gas struts to lift and ensure their heavy panels and access doors are accessible.

Architecture: Some architectural designs may rely on gas struts for the safe opening and closing of folding walls and hidden storage units.

What are the key features of a heavy-duty gas strut?

Heavy duty gas struts are exceptional in industrial applications, thanks to these key features:

Very high load capacity: Heavy gas struts are purpose-built to manage much heavier loads, with some models handling thousands of Newtons of force.

Customisable force: Heavy-duty gas struts can often have their internal pressure adjusted to change the amount of force generated, so you can match the force needed to the load it’s supporting.

Durable: Heavy duty gas struts are used repeatedly across a range of industries, so they need to be durable. Typically, heavy-duty gas struts are made from stainless or carbon steel to better resist the wear and tear that comes with everyday use. Some models also have a resistance to corrosion and extreme temperatures, making them ideal for the outdoors or for locations where extreme temperatures are the norm.

How are gas struts used in everyday situations?

Many of us use gas struts so often in life that we are not only unaware of them, but we take them for granted. 

For example, the up and down motion of an office chair may be controlled by using gas struts. The compression within the gas strut allows the chair to move up and down freely without any jerking motions. The strut allows for freedom of movement and extra comfort when using an office chair at home or at work. 

Other places you may find gas struts in everyday life include:

• Your car boot or bonnet.

• Kitchen cabinets.

• Pop-up ottomans and beds.

• Garden storage boxes.

• Cellar doors.

• Upward-opening windows.

• Doors.

Without the strut, this ergonomic office chair design would be massively flawed and unsuitable for many people.

How do you determine the right gas spring

Picking out the right gas spring largely depends on understanding the item you’re working with. This includes understanding the angles, ratios, and measurements of the item that requires the gas strut. Think about the following:

What load weight do you need to support?: What is the weight of the load that your gas strut needs to support? Check the load rating of your gas strut vs the object it needs to support, or you could put yourself and others at risk.

What stroke length do you need?:  The stroke length is how far the pistons can extend or retract. Your strut should have the stroke length necessary to meet the movement needed.

What is the work environment?: Many industrial applications are outdoors or subject to harsh weather conditions. When selecting your strut, consider the environment that the strut will be operating in, and choose one that is resistant to the environment.

What material or finish is required?: You can find gas struts built with aluminium, stainless steel, and carbon steel, often with zinc plating as a finish. Understand which material is best suited to your needs, as some are likely to be more durable and resistant to corrosion.

Can it be installed for your application?: It’s possible to purchase a gas strut and realise it won’t fit with your machinery. Be sure to understand the mounting of your gas struts and any requirements for installation.

When you’ve considered the above, use tools like a gas spring calculator or sizing chat to judge the type of gas strut you’ll need, along with the gauge.

If you need any support with calculating which gas strut you need, reach out to the Acorn team for advice and assistance with gas struts and thousands of other products.

How do I maintain a gas strut?

Proper maintenance for both heavy-duty and standard gas struts is essential in helping them to perform as intended. Consider the following:

• Perform a regular wipe-down of the strut to keep it free of dust and debris.

• Use lubrication to keep the moving parts working as expected.

• Regularly check for signs of weakness or leaks. This is more important for industrial gas strut usage, but if you use your standard gas strut on a day-to-day basis, it is worth keeping an eye out for issues.

• Read the manufacturer's guidelines to ensure you are using the gas strut as intended and to maintain the gas strut effectively.

What are gas struts made from?

Gas struts also come in a range of different materials, one of the most popular types being stainless steel.

Stainless steel gas struts

Stainless steel resists corrosion and is a very strong metal, meaning the strut will be able to withstand a lot of use and shouldn’t become a problem in the production process.

There are different grades of stainless steel that are suited to different environments; a business should think about what environment the strut will be used in so they know which type of material will be most suited to the function.

Carbon Steel Gas Struts

Carbon steel and stainless steel gas struts are very similar in operation, although carbon steel tends to be both stronger and cheaper, and is often used for indoor use or in the automotive industry. Where carbon steel falls short of stainless steel is that it’s much less resistant to rust and chemicals, making stainless steel the preferred choice for harsh environments.

Aluminum Gas Struts

Aluminium gas struts are ideal for lightweight uses, mostly indoors, and for light to moderate loads. They can be very cost-effective and have good corrosion resistance, but aren’t suitable for consistently heavier loads.

Speak to Acorn Industrial Services about your gas strut needs

Gas struts can be one small part of a huge operation, but every small part is vital to production success. This is why it is important to get the right size and type of strut right from the start, so production can begin quickly and be free from interruption.

At Acorn, not only do we sell a range of gas struts directly to you, but we also have a team on hand who can help you calculate the type of strut that you need, so your industrial maintenance or repair goes smoothly.

Speak to a member of our team today, or view our range of available gas struts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much weight can a gas strut lift?

There are gas struts that can manage small weights like 45 kg, to huge weights, up to 450kg+.

Do gas struts run out of gas?

Gas struts do not run out of gas in the typical sense like a fuel or oxygen tank. Gas struts are pre-filled and sealed with compressed nitrogen gas, but tiny leaks can occur over the years of use, which can cause the strut to naturally fail.

What is the lifespan of a gas strut?

The lifespan of a gas strut depends on its application and how often it is used. Typically, though, a gas strut will last for around 5 to 10 years. The following may affect the longevity of your lifespan:

• Environmental conditions.

• Temperature and temperature cycling (temperatures fluctuating between hot and cold).

• How the gas strut is stored or handled before installation.

• How frequently the strut is used.

• Vibrations from the application.

• The quality of the strut and surrounding parts.

Can a gas strut be too strong?

Yes, gas struts with a higher force rating than is needed can over-extend the item they’re lifting, resulting in cracking, bending, or slamming, and it may be much harder to bring the item back down again.

Gas struts that are too strong may also prevent the item from closing properly under its own weight, and may put excessive force on the hinges of the item, causing it to wear much faster.

What are the environmental conditions in which these struts can operate?

Heavy-duty struts, depending on their material and finish, can typically handle temperatures between -30°C and 80°C. If you want your gas strut to last longer in corrosive or high-humidity environments, be sure to use one with corrosion-resistant materials, and check the manufacturer’s settings to ensure that the strut is suitable for the intended application.

How does the strut behave in case of gas leakage or failure?

If there is a failure in a heavy-duty strut or gas leakage, the strut will no longer work effectively, which presents resistance and poor support for the intended object. This will only get worse as the gas escapes, and the strut's ability to hold up an object diminishes.

Struts, and in particular heavy-duty struts, should be checked regularly to ensure that no leaks are present. Leaks in industrial settings could cause serious injury if not recognised.

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