Abstract
The maximum stress induced plays vital role in fatigue life improvement of leaf springs. To reduce this maximum stress, leaves with different unassembled cambers are assembled by pulling against each other and a common curvature is established. This causes stress concentration or sets assembly stress in the assembled leaf springs which is subtractive from load stress in master leaf while it is additive to load stress for short leaves. By suitable combination of assembly stresses and stepping, it is possible to distribute the stress and improve the fatigue life of the leaf spring. The effect of assembly stresses on fatigue life of the leaf spring of a light commercial vehicle (LCV) has been studied. A proper combination of stepping and camber has been proposed by taking the design parameters into consideration, so that the stress in the leaves does not exceed maximum design stress. The theoretical fatigue life of the leaf springs with and without considering the assembly stresses is determined and compared with experimental life. The numbers of specimens are manufactured with proposed parameters and tested for load rate, fatigue life on a full scale leaf springs testing machine. The effect of stress range, maximum stress, and initial stress is also discussed.
Highlights
Leaf springs are most frequently used in the suspensions
The leaf spring requires that the load rate should vary within limit (±7%) and the maximum stress induced should be lower than the maximum design stress
The second lot of specimen is assembled by considering common curvature, that is, without assembly stresses
Summary
Leaf springs like all other springs serve to absorb, store, and release the energy. The leaf spring requires that the load rate should vary within limit (±7%) and the maximum stress induced should be lower than the maximum design stress. For a given stress range the leaf spring should have maximum fatigue life or as specified. The stress range and the maximum stress induced in the leaf spring play a vital role in deciding the load rate and fatigue life of the leaf spring. The maximum stress induced can be reduced by assembling the leaves with different radii of curvature and establishing a common curvature under no load. The proper distribution of the stress between the leaves can enhance the fatigue life of the leaf springs
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