Clockspring
{{Short description|Car component}}
A clockspring (also referred to as spiral spring or spiral cable){{cite web |title=Spiral Cable Assembly |url=https://www.customwiringloom.com/spiral-cable-assembly.html |website=Custom Wiring Loom |publisher=Cloom (OurPCB Co. Ltd)}} is a type of spring often found in automobiles, that stores energy on a rotating axis. Clocksprings generally consist of a flat multicore cable wound in a spiral shape similar to a clock spring, hence the name,{{cite book | last = Hillier | first = V.A.W. | title = Hillier's Fundamentals of Automotive Electronics | publisher = Nelson Thornes | year = 1996 | location = | page = 382 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-7487-2695-0}} but the name is also given to devices fulfilling the same purpose but which use spring-loaded brushes contacting concentric slip rings.{{cite book | last = Rosenbluth | first = William | title = Investigation and Interpretation of Black Box Data in Automobiles | publisher = ASTM International | year = 2001 | location = | page = 131 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-7680-0797-6}}
In automotive systems
File:EPAS power steering column.jpg
In vehicle steering systems a clock spring or clockspring is a spiral-wound special rotary electrical conductor which allows a vehicle's steering wheel to turn while still making an electrical connection between the steering wheel airbag and/or the vehicle's horn and other devices and the vehicle's electrical systems. The clockspring is located between the steering wheel and the steering column.