Re: Applications of Elastic Potential Energy

Elastic potential energy is used extensively by mechanical engineers in 
the design of every day products.

The springs that hold up the car at each wheel stores energy when a wheel 
goes over a bump or pothole.  Without the stored energy being released 
over a rebound period, the energy of the car hitting the bump would damage 
the car. 

When you open a dishwasher door, springs store the gravitational potential 
energy of the weight of the door being lowered.  When you are ready to 
raise the door back up, the potential energy of the springs is released to 
assist you in raising the door.  If you have ever had one of these springs 
break, you will realize how much they are assisting you.  The same energy 
storage principle is used to help you raise a garage door or the hatchback 
on a car.  (In the case of the car, a device called a "gas spring" is 
used, but it still acts just like a mechanical spring to store energy.)

Storing energy in a valve spring in a car engine allows the valve to be 
closed by the spring after the cam lifts it open.  

Many mechanical clocks used wind up springs to store energy to turn the 
mechanism before small electric motors and digital clocks replaced them.