Will my cover be more heavily loaded when I use gas springs?

Yes, the cover is generally more heavily loaded when gas springs are used. It is therefore important that you assess whether your cover and the hinges are strong enough before you apply the gas struts. The figure below shows a cover of 25kg with and without gas springs:

The cause of the higher forces is the fact that the gas spring generally works over a shorter moment arm of force. To be able to carry the entire moment of force of the cover a larger force is therefore required. The gas spring therefore also has an extension force which is much greater than the weight of the cover. In this example, the gas strut has an extension force of up to 420N or 43kg. This is a lot more than the 25kg weight of the cover.

If you find a too large hinge force in the Calculation tool, then you can lower it by choosing a longer gas spring. This will then work over a larger moment arm, and therefore requires a smaller force. The gas spring will naturally still need to fit. This can be seen in the Calculation tool figure and be measured in your own application.

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