Okavango Spring and Alignment centre

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




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.

Multi-leaf springs are widely used for automobile and rail road suspensions. It consists of a series of flat plates, usually of semi- elliptical shape. The leaves are held together by means of two U-bolts and a centre clip. Rebound clips are
provided to keep the leaves in alignment and prevent lateral shifting of the plates during the operation. The longest leaf, called the master leaf, is bent at both ends to form the spring eye. At the center, the spring is fixed to the axle of the car.

A leaf spring works on the principle of bending. When a load is applied at the ends bending occurs. Naturally, the structure opposes bending. This results in a reaction force which opposes the load applies. Thereby we get the spring property of the leaf spring

WE CAN DO LIST