References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leaf springs.

1.

"Springs - A simple study of car suspension", The Automotor Journal, August 10, 1912,
pp936-937
"Kamis, Khukuri makers of Nepal". Himalayan-imports.com. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
"Joe Andon's leap of faith". The Australian. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
"Trampolines WO 2012167300 A1". Retrieved 2013-07-04.

Leaf spring
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A traditional semi-elliptical Hotchkiss leaf spring arrangement. On the left, the

spring is connected to the frame through a shackle.

A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled
vehicles. Originally called a laminated or carriage spring, and sometimes referred to as a
semi-elliptical spring or cart spring, it is one of the oldest forms of springing, dating back
to medieval times.

Leaf springs front independent suspension, front-wheel-drive Alvis 1928

Independent front suspension by transverse leaf spring Humber 1935

Independent front suspension by semi-elliptical springs Mercedes Benz 230

W153 1938

Leaf spring on a German locomotive built by Orenstein-Koppel and Lbecker

Maschinenbau

A leaf spring takes the form of a slender arc-shaped length of spring steel of rectangular
cross-section. In the most common configuration, the center of the arc provides location for
the axle, while tie holes are provided at either end for attaching to the vehicle body. For very
heavy vehicles, a leaf spring can be made from several leaves stacked on top of each other in
several layers, often with progressively shorter leaves. Leaf springs can serve locating and to
some extent damping as well as springing functions. While the interleaf friction provides a
damping action, it is not well controlled and results in stiction in the motion of the
suspension. For this reason some manufacturers have used mono-leaf springs.

A leaf spring can either be attached directly to the frame at both ends or attached directly at
one end, usually the front, with the other end attached through a shackle, a short swinging
arm. The shackle takes up the tendency of the leaf spring to elongate when compressed and
thus makes for softer springiness. Some springs terminated in a concave end, called a spoon
end (seldom used now), to carry a swivelling member.
History
There were a variety of leaf springs, usually employing the word "elliptical". "Elliptical" or
"full elliptical" leaf springs referred to two circular arcs linked at their tips. This was joined to
the frame at the top center of the upper arc, the bottom center was joined to the "live"
suspension components, such as a solid front axle. Additional suspension components, such
as trailing arms, would usually be needed for this design, but not for "semi-elliptical" leaf
springs as used in the Hotchkiss drive. That employed the lower arc, hence its name.
"Quarter-elliptic" springs often had the thickest part of the stack of leaves stuck into the rear
end of the side pieces of a short ladder frame, with the free end attached to the differential, as
in the Austin Seven of the 1920s. As an example of non-elliptic leaf springs, the Ford Model
T had multiple leaf springs over its differential that were curved in the shape of a yoke. As a
substitute for dampers (shock absorbers), some manufacturers laid non-metallic sheets in
between the metal leaves, such as wood.

Elliptic

Semi-elliptic

Three quarter-elliptic

Quarter-elliptic

Transverse

Leaf springs were very common on automobiles, right up to the 1970s in Europe and Japan
and late 1970s in America when the move to front-wheel drive, and more sophisticated
suspension designs saw automobile manufacturers use coil springs instead. Today leaf springs
are still used in heavy commercial vehicles such as vans and trucks, SUVs, and railway
carriages. For heavy vehicles, they have the advantage of spreading the load more widely
over the vehicle's chassis, whereas coil springs transfer it to a single point. Unlike coil
springs, leaf springs also locate the rear axle, eliminating the need for trailing arms and a
Panhard rod, thereby saving cost and weight in a simple live axle rear suspension. A further
advantage of a leaf spring over a helical spring is that the end of the leaf spring may be
guided along a definite path.

A more modern implementation is the parabolic leaf spring. This design is characterised by
fewer leaves whose thickness varies from centre to ends following a parabolic curve. In this
design, inter-leaf friction is unwanted, and therefore there is only contact between the springs
at the ends and at the centre where the axle is connected. Spacers prevent contact at other
points. Aside from a weight saving, the main advantage of parabolic springs is their greater
flexibility, which translates into vehicle ride quality that approaches that of coil springs.
There is a trade-off in the form of reduced load carrying capability, however. The
characteristic of parabolic springs is better riding comfort and not as "stiff" as conventional
"multi-leaf springs". It is widely used on buses for better comfort. A further development by
the British GKN company and by Chevrolet with the Corvette amongst others, is the move to
composite plastic leaf springs. Nevertheless, due to missing inter-leaf friction and internal
dampening effects this type of springs requires more powerful dampers or shock absorbers.

Typically when used in automobile suspension the leaf both supports an axle and locates/
partially locates the axle. This can lead to handling issues (such as 'axle tramp'), as the
flexible nature of the spring makes precise control of the unsprung mass of the axle difficult.
Some suspension designs use a Watts link (or a Panhard rod) and radius arms to locate the
axle and do not have this drawback. Such designs can use softer springs, resulting in better
ride. The various Austin-Healey 3000's and Fiat 128's rear suspension are examples.

What are leaf springs?

Leaf springs are a basic form of suspension made up of layers of steel of varying sizes
sandwiched one upon the other. Most leaf spring setups are formed into an elliptical shape
through the use of spring steel which has properties that allow it to flex as pressure is added
at either end, but then returning to its original position through a damping process. The steel
is generally cut into rectangular sections and then once held together by metal clips at either
end and a large bolt through the centre of the leafs. It is then mounted to the axle of the
vehicle using large U-bolts, securing the suspension in place.

The elasticity of the spring steel allows for a pliancy within the suspension for comfort and
control of a car while moving, and a leaf spring setup has been proven as a viable option for
cars for many decades, despite only really being found on HGVs and Military vehicles these
days.

What are the advantages?

Due to the sheer amount of metal layered together, leaf springs offer a large amount of
support between the wheels, axles and the cars chassis. They can take huge vertical loads
being applied to them due to their tight-knit structure, hence why heavy duty industries still
use them. Vertical loading is also distributed throughout the length of the leaf spring rather
than acutely through a small spring and damper, which can potentially create a concentrated
force too large for the suspension to handle.

In a car, damping can be an extremely important characteristic. If the suspension is under-

damped, the car will wallow and bounce around well after hitting any bump or pot hole in the
road. This was a significant characteristic in cars that used helical springs before the dawn of
the shock absorber and was disadvantageous to cars when driven at any real pace. Leaf
springs coped much better with vehicle damping due to the friction between each plate of
steel which made the response time after a vertical flex in the suspension much quicker, thus
making for a much more controllable car.

FEA analysis of a monoleaf spring showing the distribution of stress

Leaf springs were simple in design and cheap to produce in comparison with the early springs
and dampers therefore it was the go-to setup once cars were being fully mass produced to
ensure reliability while keeping costs low. Monoleaf springs were the simplest design of the
lot, using only one leaf of spring steel which tapered from thick in the middle to thin at the
edges (known as parabolic leaf springs) to distribute the vertical loads appropriately. A single
leaf setup could only however be used on extremely lightweight vehicles due to the lack of
strength within the bar.

What are the disadvantages?

A big downside of leaf setups is they arent brilliant when it comes to suspension tuning. In
racing and performance car applications, it is vital to be able to manipulate a suspension setup
for the driving conditions and for different driving styles, something that is much easier
nowadays through adjustable coilovers. This lack of adjustability of leaf setups is emphasised
by the fact that the ends of the leaf springs are attached to the chassis, which leaves very little
scope for shortening or lengthening of the leafs. Adjustments can therefore only really be
made through the strength and flexibility of the material used to make up the leaf springs.

Leafs also allow very few directions of motion and are only really designed to move
vertically, while a spring and damper combination can be manipulated into a much larger
range of motion. Leaf springs are firmly clamped together and bolted to the chassis as well as
clipped to the axle, thus giving little to no scope for any other direction of motion which can
lead to heavy wear on the joints and connections holding the setup together.

This connection with a live rear axle can cause comical dynamic characteristics in a car when
compared to a more modern independent suspension setup, something that older Mustangs
are famous for. The rear axle will simply bounce around high speed corners as the suspension
and axle are forced to move around together, when a modern damped system would add
much more composure to the driving experience.

In comparison with a helical spring, leaf springs are generally much stiffer simply down to
the steel construction and the tight package that they are bolted and clamped into. Ride
comfort is therefore not a feature of vehicles that use leaf springs which made their popularity
decrease dramatically after proper dampers were introduced in the 1970s to everyday cars in
a cost-effective manner.

Front Suspension

Front: Leaf Spring Solid Axle

The Leaf Spring Solid Axle configuration uses a multiple leaf spring-pack, on each side of
the axle housing to position the axle and to support the vehicle load. The leaf springs are
mounted to a hanger bracket at one end, running longitudinally along the frame-rails, with a
pivoting shackle at the opposite end. This simple design locates the axle on a specific axis
and supports the weight of the vehicle. A track bar is sometimes used to help center the axle
on heavy duty applications.

Rear Suspension
Rear: Leaf Spring Solid Axle
The most popular rear suspension uses a multiple leaf spring-pack, on each side of the axle
housing, to position the axle and to support the vehicle load. The leaf springs are mounted to
a hanger bracket at one end, running longitudinally along the frame-rails, with a pivoting
shackle at the opposite end. The leaf spring design is used in heavy duty application with the
addition of overload and helper leafs built into the main spring pack for additional weight
capacity.
The Function of Leaf Springs
By Marjorie Gilbert

eHow Contributor

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Save
Leaf springs are not a new invention. They have been used since ancient Rome in one form or
another, first as wooden poles and, in the 18th century, a steel plate. In 1804, Obadiah Elliot
invented the first steel leaf spring that more closely resembles the leaf spring of today when
he stacked steel plates and attached them to the bottom of a carriage.

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Weight-bearing

One of the purposes of the leaf springs is to bear the weight of the vehicle. The semi-
elliptical design helps to support the vehicle, keeping it above the frame and axle.
Larger vehicles that must not only support their weight but also their heavier loads
may have additional or heavy-duty leaf springs.

Tire Contact

The leaf springs help to control the vehicle so that the tires keep in contact with the
road. When the vehicle goes over a bump, the springs help to keep it from bouncing
uncontrollably.

Suspension

Leaf springs can help the vehicle stay in alignment as well as help with the
suspension. The leaf springs absorb all the bumps and dips in the road, thus providing
a more comfortable ride for the vehicle's occupants. The leaf springs also help
maintain the vehicle's alignment since their very rigidity keeps the vehicle's wheels
tracking straight.

How Leaf Springs Work

by John Fuller Auto | Towing Accessories
Would a pair of leaf springs help out this sorry state? Probably not, but trailers
built with leaf-spring capabilities are much better at carrying heavy loads.

Mark Horn/Getty Images

Before you start your towing trip, it's a good idea to go over a brief checklist -- for safety's
sake. You take a good look in your mirrors, adjusting them correctly in order to see passing
traffic on the road. You've chosen the correct hitch and connected the towing vehicle to the
trailer properly. The brake lights and braking systems are working synchronously, assuring
you of the ride's legality. With everything loaded up, you're pretty confident the truck is ready
for the job, so you head out on the road toward your destination. Once you reach a steady
speed, however, the trailer behind your truck starts to bounce and sway a little more than it
should. Pulling over to the side of the road, you rack your brains to figure out what you
missed. You start to wonder if your cargo weight is maybe too high -- but what can you do
about it?

In this situation, if there's too much cargo weighing down a towed vehicle, causing
everything to rock and sway, the issue may be with the suspension. If a truck's suspension is
too rigid, its wheels will often leave the pavement after hitting bumps; a good suspension, on
the other hand, keeps the wheels on the ground as much as possible. Many towers use leaf
springs to stabilize their towed load and to keep their cargo grounded.

5.3 Benefits i Weight reduction ii High strength iii Corrosiveness iv Low specific gravity.