Spring devices – Vehicle – Leaf
Patent
1995-08-07
1997-11-04
Oberleitner, Robert S.
Spring devices
Vehicle
Leaf
B60G 1104
Patent
active
056830769
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a leaf spring for suspension of a rigid axle of a vehicle, said spring being joined at a first end to the vehicle frame or the like by junction means permitting pivotal movement about a pivot axis essentially parallel to the axle, and being joined at the other second end to the frame by junction means which permit pivotal movement about a pivot axis essentially parallel to the axle and displacement in the longitudinal direction of the spring, said spring being rigidly joined intermediate its ends to the axle.
Leaf springs of the type described above are widely used to suspend rigid axles in vehicles of varying types, primarily heavy vehicles such as trucks and the lake. The springs are used in pairs with one spring on either side of the vehicle near the ends of the axle.
A common type of spring for the area of application described above is the so-called taper leaf spring. This spring consists of one or more leaves, at least the main leaf of which is designed in such a manner that the cross-sectional moment of inertia of the leaf varies in the longitudinal direction of the sprang, so that the bending stress in the leaf will be essentially equal over the major portion of the length of the leaf. Such a distribution of bending stress is achieved if the bending resistance of the leaf increases linearly as seen from the ends of the leaf towards the juncture of the spring with the axle.
A disadvantage of all leaf springs of the type described above is, however, that the axle, when absorbing loads, is not displaced up and down along a straight line but rather along a curved path. This means that the axle in addition to moving vertically will also move in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as the load changes. If the movement of the springs is different on one side of the vehicle from the other, the displacement of the axle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle will be different between the two sides. This means that the axle will be set obliquely and have a steering effect on the vehicle. This so-called roll steering affects the driving properties of the vehicle, and it is desirable to reduce this effect as much as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the invention as to provide a leaf spring of the type described by way of introduction, which creates very little roll steering and other effects on the driving properties of the vehicle, at the same time as one can maintain relatively large deflection and thus good comfort.
That described above is achieved by means of a leaf spring which is characterized by the features disclosed in the characterizing clause of claim 1.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rigid axle and its suspension components in a vehicle,
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a spring and its pattern of movement,
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a spring according to one embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the stress distribution in the spring according to FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a spring according to a second embodiment of the invention, and
FIG. 6 is a diagram which shows the stress distribution in the spring according to FIG. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a common type of front end construction for a heavy vehicle, for example a truck. It includes two springs 1, which are designed to suspend a rigid axle 2 which supports two wheels 3. The two springs 1 are essentially identical, and each of the springs 1 is joined at its first end 4 to the frame of the vehicle or the like by juncture means (not shown), which permit pivoting of the spring about a pivot axis lying essentially parallel to the axle 2, and which is represented in FIG. 1 by a transverse hole 5 in the first end 4 of the spring. The juncture means can consist of a bolt, which is inserted through the hole 5 and is supported by the vehicle frame
REFERENCES:
patent: 3079139 (1963-02-01), Greene et al.
patent: 4676488 (1987-06-01), Castaing
patent: 5209518 (1993-05-01), Heckeuliable et al.
patent: 5366238 (1994-11-01), Stephens
patent: 5507516 (1996-04-01), Deast
Ingvarsson Henrik
Raattamaa Jan-Erik
AB Volvo
Oberleitner Robert S.
Schwartz Chris
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