Helical compression springs are among the most widely used flexible parts in machineries and mechanisms. This paper investigates the optimization of compression helical springs using heuristic algorithms. The spring is designed for static and fatigue loading service. The design variables for static loading include wire material, end type of the spring and the wire diameter, while for dynamic loading the surface treatment is additionally considered. The purpose of optimization procedure is to minimize is the figure of merit, which is an index showing the relative cost of spring. Two heuristic algorithms, namely simulated annealing and ant colony optimization, are employed to optimize the spring. The results are compared with each other and with exact solutions obtained by direct enumeration Computational results show these algorithms are quite efficient in solving such design problems.

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