US1908856A - Spring pad - Google Patents

Description

May 16, 1933. E. c. Moc-:FORD ET Al.

SPRING PAD Filed Sept. 17, 1950 Patented May 16,l 1933 L UNITED. STATES PAIEN 'rcel-FICE ff EISMUND c. MoGFoRD A'N'n` Geenen srATTA, or BUCHANAN, MICHIGAN, -Ass'IGNoBs To ,A CLARKV EQUIPMENT COMPANY, or BUCHANAN, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN SPR-ING PAD Application filed September 17, 1930. Seria1'No.'482,/i01.

This. invention relates to spring pads for tubular front axles. K

In automotive vehicles, the front axles are frequently composed of a tubular member 5 consisting of thin'walled tubingV which is formed and forged to the required shape. These axles, while advantageous for the reason that they are considerably lighter than a solid axle of equal strength, have heretofore been handicapped bythe lack of an inexpensive yet entirely satisfactory spring pad for attaching the spring to the axle, the use of a clamping and encircling member or members being undesirable because of the added weight.

In the past it has been the usual practice to forge or press a spring pad of suitable size and shape and to attach it to the tubular axle by welding. This method isfrequently disadvantageous for the reason 'that' the welds by which the pad is attached to the axle. weakens the tensile strength ofthe axle and thereby renders it more subject to bendy ing due to stresses set up in it when the wheels oflthe vehicle strike anuneven spot in the roadand also when the springs rebound after the wheels have passed such an obstacle. Furthermore, a spring pad of this type imposes tensile stress upon the welds V by which thepad is attached to the axle and if these welds are not properly made there isA great likelihood of the spring pad being torn loose from the axle by relatively small stresses and if the welds are properly made there stillremains a possibility of the spring pad being torn looseby shocksand torques placed upon the axle, particularly if these shocks tend to rotate the axle vand at the same time to lift the springs and pad yfrom it. Under these conditions the edge of the welds is placed under excessive tension. and the pad ymay be peeled ortorn from the axle. K .Y In our present invention, we have provided a new and yimproved spring padcon'- sisting of a forged pad attached to a tubular front axle by means of a forged :band encircling the axle and 'riveted tothe spring pad itself, this band taking all of the tensile stresses which tend to separate the pad from the axle. The edges of the spring pad` are also Welded to the axle member, these' Welds ybeing` called upon to resist only the stresses tending to turn the. spring pad upon the axle, andv consequently they do `not need to be as large as the welds used heretofore and they may therefore be made withoutmaterially weakening the axle itself.

Now to acquaint those skilled in theart with the teachingsfof our invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which a preferredV embodimentfof it-is shown by way of example and in which: I

'Figure l is aplan view of a spring pad attached to an axle, y 1 Figure 2 is an elevational view of the pad shown in vFigure l, and l Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view take-n substantially along the line 3 3 of FigureQ looking in the directionof the arrows and with a spring in place on the pad'.

Referring to the drawing now in more detail, -asection of thin wall tubular front axle is indicated atl, and a lspring pad 2 is shown attached thereto in accordance with the teachings of our invention; 1

The spring pad 2 preferably consists-'ofa metallic forging having a fiat, upperface 3 containing recesses or Vdepressions' 4 and `5 and a plurality of holes 6, 7,' 8, '9, 10, l1 and l2 all of which are disposed with their axes normal: to the plane'of the face?) ofthe spring pad. A similarly shaped` punching may of course be substituted within the teachings of our invention. The central iole 9 provides a clearance into which the screw bolt of a spring assembly can project,

this screw 'bolt assisting in properly'centerwhich the ends of the U-strap 14 extend when projected through the holes 11 and 7 in the spring pad 2. The end 13 of this strap is riveted over at 15 to securely fasten the spring pad and strap together. The opposite end 16 of the strap 14 is projected through the hole 7 in the spring seat and projected into the recess 5 where itis riveted as at 17 to securely attach the other end of the strap 14 to the spring pad. Preferably the holes 7 and 11 are tapered as shown at 18 and 19 in Figure 3 so that the riveting of the ends of the strap 14 forces that strap out into the taper to thereby securely bind it to the spring pad. By this arrangen'ient,

the spring pad is securely attached Vto the tubular axle 1 without welding and the forged strap 14 by which it is attached is Y thereby enabled to take up stresses which tend to separate the'pad from the axle.

f Thelower face of the pad 2 contains an Y arcuate seat 30 shaped to conform to the perimeter of the axle 1, and bosses 31 and 32 "which surround holes 7 and 11 respectively. The inner ends of these bosses are likelwisevshaped as shown at 33 and 34` to vconform to thecontour of the axle 1. Ob-

viously if the axle 1 is not round, surfaces 30, 33 and 34 are changed accordingly so that they remain capable of firmly seating Y the pad .on .the axle.

In order to prevent rotation of the spring pad 2 and strap 14 around the axle 1 responsive toztorqes set up by the application ofthe brakes and other similar forces, the spring pad 2 is Weldedat 20 and .21 tothe axle 1, these welds beingk called upon to resist only the relatively small torques tending to rotate the two members with respect to each other. Because the torques that the welds are called upon to resist are relatively small, the welds are themselves small land canbe made without injuring the walls of the tubular axle.

.The spring assembly indicated generally at 22 in Figure 3 rests upon the fiat upper face 3 of the spring pad with its screw bolt 23 projectinginto the central opening 9 in the spring pad. The springs are attached lto the pad in any preferred manner such as by the bolts 24 which project through holes 6, 8, 1'() and 12 in the spring pad and through cross links 25 y located above the spring 22. Nuts 26 threaded on the` ends of the bolts and against the upperfsurface of the cross links `25 serve to `securely bind the spring 22vto the spring pad 2 and consequently to lthe axle' 1.

VThe-machine bolts 24` and nuts 26 and plates25 shown in Figure 3 are shown by .way of example only as-any other preferred Yattaching device may be employed to attach the spring to the spring pad within the teachings of our invention. For example a forged U-shackle may be substituted occupied by the bolt heads 27 shown in the drawing.

By this arrangement, the spring pad is securely mounted on the axle and held thereon by forgings which are of sutiicient strength to resist the stresses placed upon them during the operationr of the vehicle. Any tendencyof the spring pad to turn on the axle is resisted by small welds and as a result the attachment of the spring pad t0 the axle in no way weakens the. tensile strength of the axle. The arrangement of the forged spring pad and strap shown in theV drawing is relatively inexpensive and also results in a material decrease in the weight of the spring pad, since the employment of largevheavy U-b'olts completelyencircling the axle and springs is eliminated.

While we have chosen to show our invention by illustrating a preferred embodiment of it,- we have done so by Away of example only as there are many modifications .and adaptations which can be made by one skilled in the art within the teachingsA of our invention. f l

Having thus `complied with the statutes and shown and describeda preferred embodiment of our invention, what wecon- Sider new and desire to have-protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the. appended claims.

lVVhat is claimed is:

1.7A spring pad comprising a unitary saddlemember having a plurality of holes througlrit, a seat shaped to conform to the contour-ofthe axle. on which the saddle-V member is to be placed, -a Lflat seat -on which the spring rests, and-a U band encircling the axle andprojecting through certain ones of said vholesand riveted adjacent said Hat seat to holdthe pad on the axle..

2. AA spring. pad for tubular axles comprising a forging having' va plurality `of holes, a seat conforming tothe contour of the axle, ay flat seat on which the spring rests, counterbores in said flat seat, a band section, a spring pad having alseat portion resting on the axle, said pad having holes on opposite sides of said seat, and ,la 'U'- shaped clip having a thinstrap portion at its middle and rod-like Shanks at itsends,

said clip engaging the axle and the Shanks extending through the holes, said holes being enlarged at their upper ends, the upper ends of the Shanks having holding means disposed in said recesses, there being Welds between the pad and the axle t0 resist torsional stresses between them.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 13th day of September, 1930.

EDMUND C. MOGFORD. GEORGE SPATTA.

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTIGN.

Patent No. 1, 908,856. May 16, 1933.

EDMUND C. MOGFORD, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error' appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 112, claim 2, for "forging" read "saddle member"; and that the said Letters Patent shoulel be read with this correction therein that thc same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 1st day ot' August, A. D. i933.

M. J. Moore.

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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