US3671030A - Spring leaf and method of making - Google Patents

Spring leaf and method of making Download PDF

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Publication number
US3671030A
US3671030A US42289A US3671030DA US3671030A US 3671030 A US3671030 A US 3671030A US 42289 A US42289 A US 42289A US 3671030D A US3671030D A US 3671030DA US 3671030 A US3671030 A US 3671030A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
leaf
spring
eye
spring leaf
plane
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US42289A
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English (en)
Inventor
John P Marion
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
NORTH AMERICAN ROCK CORP
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NORTH AMERICAN ROCK CORP
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Publication date
Application filed by NORTH AMERICAN ROCK CORP filed Critical NORTH AMERICAN ROCK CORP
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Publication of US3671030A publication Critical patent/US3671030A/en
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
    • F16F1/00—Springs
    • F16F1/02—Springs made of steel or other material having low internal friction; Wound, torsion, leaf, cup, ring or the like springs, the material of the spring not being relevant
    • F16F1/18—Leaf springs
    • F16F1/26—Attachments or mountings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D—WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
    • B21D53/00—Making other particular articles
    • B21D53/88—Making other particular articles other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards
    • B21D53/886—Making other particular articles other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards leaf springs
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G11/00—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or kind of springs
    • B60G11/02—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or kind of springs having leaf springs only
    • B60G11/10—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or kind of springs having leaf springs only characterised by means specially adapted for attaching the spring to axle or sprung part of the vehicle
    • B60G11/12—Links, pins, or bushes
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49609—Spring making
    • Y10T29/49611—Spring making for vehicle or clutch

Definitions

  • spring leaf is slittcd parallel to its length near the end and subjected to a deformation operation whereby an intermediate portion of the leaf is oppositely displaced with respect to the displacement of adjacent edge portions to prov vide opposed semi-cylindrical loops defining the eye.
  • the deformation operation may occur either simultaneously with or subsequent to the slitting'of the leaf.
  • JOHN P MARION ATTORNEYS SPRING LEAF AND METHOD OF MAKING This invention relates to leaf spring structure and particularly to the end formation commonly known as the eye for connecting the spring end or ends to frame pivots, shackles and the like.
  • a spring eye integral with the spring leaf by suitably turning over the spring end to provide a cylindrical boss-like formation adapted to fit over the pivot or shackle pin.
  • the eye may be disposed above or below the plane of the leaf, usually above, or with its center in the plane of the leafwhich is the so-called Berlin eye.
  • Berlin eye In all forms the leaf end is turned over in a rolling or equivalent operation until the end edge substantially abuts the leaf surface, so that the eye is essentially open along its transverse dimension.
  • the present invention contemplates a novel leaf spring eye structure and method of attaining it whereby integral oppositely curved loops are formed in one or both of the spring end portions in such manner as to evenly distribute the stresses induced during forming and provide a closed eye or eyes having balanced bearing areas, and this is a major object of the invention.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a novel leaf spring eye structure and method of making wherein the eye consists of integrally displaced transversely adjacent regions of the spring leaf end located longitudinally inwardly of that end.
  • FIG. I is a side elevation showing a spring leaf according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a fragmentary substantially perspective side elevation showing one end of a spring leaf formed according to the invention
  • FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the spring end of FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the spring end of FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a pivotal mount of the spring end, the pivot being shown in section;
  • FIG. 6 is an end view of the formed spring
  • FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views showing respectively upper and lower spring end forming dies
  • FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view showing the spring end slitted prior to forming by the dies according to a modified form of the method of the invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section illustrating the die forming action at the spring end.
  • the spring leaf is an integral member of some alloy steel or carbon steel conventionally used for vehicle springs.
  • This spring leaf may be of the type having a center section 12 of maximum thickness, usually medially secured to an axle indicated at A, and end sections that gradually reduce in thickness from the center section toward the spring ends.
  • the spring leaf may be of constant or varying width from end to end although the former is illustrated, and is of uniform size at the opposite end sections.
  • the illustrated spring leaf 11 has a flat planar surface 14 along its entire length at one side, and at the other side the tapered surfaces 15 and l6extend at the same angle relative to surface 14.
  • spring leaf 12 which is an integral member composed of the steel usually used for vehicle spring leaves.
  • the other end of leaf 12 is identical although it should be recognized that some applicationsof leaf springs require an eye at only one end of the leaf.
  • the spring end is integrally formed to provide a pivotal mount structure 17 adapted to connect the spring end to a pivot on the chassis C or on a shackle S (FIG. 1).
  • the spring end has a portion 18 parallel to its length and midway between its opposite edges displaced in one direction out of the plane of the leaf to form a loop, and two transversely similar and aligned opposite edge portions 19 and 21 also parallel to the length of the leaf displaced in the opposite direction out of the plane of the leaf to form aligned loops.
  • Loop 18 has an internal surface 22 of circular cylindrical curvature, and loops 19 and 21 have circular cylindrical internal surfaces 23 and 24 that are transversely aligned but curved oppositely to surface 22.
  • loops 19 and 21 are of equal uniform width, and 4 Loops 18, 19 and 21 combine to form a spring eye having a cylindrically curved inner periphery for fitting upon a suitable cylindrical pivot structure such as that indicated at 25 in FIG. 5.
  • a central pivot pin 26 is surrounded by a resilient bushing 27 consisting of metal shells 28 and 29 spaced by a bonded rubber or like elastic sleeve 31.
  • Such a pivot structure is for example disclosed in Brownyer et al. US. Pat. No. 3,231,258. I
  • the center of curvature 32 of eye surfaces 22-24 lies preferably on the longitudinal centerline of the spring leaf, and that provides a centralized pivot mount at the spring ends.
  • an upper die 33 has a flat surface 34 except for the medially intermediate downward projection 35 which has a semicylindrical lower forming face 36.
  • the side edges of face 36 are designated 36a and 36b.
  • Lower die 37 has a flat surface 38 except for two identical spaced projections 39 and 41 that have transversely aligned cylindrical forming faces 42 and 43 respectively.
  • the inner side edges of faces 42 and 43 are designated by reference numerals 42a and 43a respectively.
  • Die surfaces 36, 42 and 43 have equal radii.
  • the spring leaf end is disposed between dies 33 and 37 which are then brought together to form loops 18, 19 and 21 by displacement out of the plane of the leaf.
  • edges 36a and 42a of the upper and lower dies 33 and 37 respectively cooperate as shear elements to form a first longitudinal slit in the leaf.
  • edges 36b and 43a cooperate to form a second longitudinal slit parallel to and spaced from the first slit.
  • This slitting of the blank occurs simultaneous with the deformation thereof and this procedure constitutes the preferred embodiment of the method of this invention in that it allows formation of mount section 17 in a single operational step.
  • the center of curvature of face 36 is shown at 47, and th center of curvature faces 42 and 43 is shown at 48.
  • the dies 33 and 37 are brought together until these centers 47, and 48 coincide.
  • centers 47 and 48 a distance from the respective flat die surfaces equal to one-half the thickness of the spring leaf end portion between the dies, such insures that the respective dies will abut opposite sides of the spring leaf to arrest the forming action when the proper size of loops is attained.
  • the foregoing cutting and punching operation may result in some roughness or projection at the edges of the formed loops but this can be removed by a suitable machine operation so that the internal surfaces of the eyes are of smooth cylindrical contour.
  • FIG. 9 shows the end of a spring leaf 11 that has been preslit as a preparation for a subsequent forming operation according to a modification of the method of this invention.
  • Parallel longitudinal slits 44 and 45 are cut through the leaf by conventional means such as a rotary cutting too]. These slits are spaced apart the width of loop 18, and are equally spaced from and parallel to the leaf edges.
  • the spring leaf terminal 46 outwardly of the slits remains imperforate. Subsequent to the slitting operation, the leaf of FIG. 9 is placed between dies 33 and 37 and the dies are closed to form the desired spring eye.
  • test results show that spring eyes formed according to the invention possess about 3.3 times the tensile strength of conventional bent over eyes. It is believed that these beneficial advantages arise in part from the fact that the spring eyes of the invention are closed, as compared to the open eyes provided in conventional springs.
  • a further advantage of the invention is that even though one or even two of the loops comprising the eye should fracture, the remaining loops or loop would retain a load support function for some time. This is a safety factor.
  • a metal spring leaf having at least one end formed with a closed eye structure by which said leaf may be secured to other structure, said closed eye structure consisting essentially of opposite edge portions similarly projecting a distance in one direction out of the plane of the leaf and an intermediate portion projecting oppositely substantially the same distance out of the plane of the leaf, said eye structure being positioned on said leaf such that said end has an imperforate end region outwardly of said eye.
  • a method of making an integral eye structure at an end of a metal spring leaf which comprises the steps of longitudinally slitting the spring leaf adjacent but spaced from an end to provide opposite edge regions and at least one intermediate region separated from the spring end by an imperforate region, and oppositely displacing said edge regions and 'said intermediate region out of the plane of the leaf end substantially equal distances to form opposed loops substantially circumferentially defining said spring eye, said slitting and displacing steps being performed simultaneously.
  • An elongate metal load bearing member having at least one end formed in a flat configuration with a closed eye structure b which said member may be secured to other structure, said c osed eye structure consisting essentially of opposite edge portions similarly projecting a distance in one direction out of the plane of the member and an intermediate portion projecting oppositely substantially the same distance out of the plane of the member, said eye structure being positioned on said member such that said end has an imperforate end region outwardly of said eye.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Springs (AREA)
  • Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)
US42289A 1970-06-01 1970-06-01 Spring leaf and method of making Expired - Lifetime US3671030A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US4228970A 1970-06-01 1970-06-01

Publications (1)

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US3671030A true US3671030A (en) 1972-06-20

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US42289A Expired - Lifetime US3671030A (en) 1970-06-01 1970-06-01 Spring leaf and method of making

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (1) US3671030A (xx)
JP (1) JPS5564537U (xx)
BE (1) BE767892A (xx)
CA (1) CA942328A (xx)
DE (1) DE2119407A1 (xx)
ES (1) ES391820A1 (xx)
FR (1) FR2095697A5 (xx)
GB (1) GB1316695A (xx)
NL (1) NL7105124A (xx)
SE (1) SE365756B (xx)
ZA (1) ZA712029B (xx)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3945625A (en) * 1972-05-29 1976-03-23 Ressorts Du Nord S. A. Leaf spring
US5362095A (en) * 1991-07-25 1994-11-08 Nicholas Eveley Resiliently mounted cantilever spring supported air spring suspension
US5365646A (en) * 1991-09-18 1994-11-22 Paccar Inc. Method of manufacturing an elongated spring member
WO1999047373A1 (en) * 1998-03-18 1999-09-23 The Boler Company Leaf spring distal end portion single rotation point attachment part
US20020167121A1 (en) * 2001-01-29 2002-11-14 Visteon Global Technologies, Inc. Composite bow mono-leaf spring
US20070108717A1 (en) * 2005-10-21 2007-05-17 Donald Stoesz Elongate spring member having bushing mounts with improved bushing retention characteristics
DE102010051560A1 (de) * 2010-11-18 2012-05-24 Frauenthal Automotive Components Gmbh Blattfeder und Verfahren zur Herstellung einer solchen Blattfeder
US20130150967A1 (en) * 2011-12-09 2013-06-13 Metal Industries Research & Development Centre Interbody Cage for Spine Fusion
US20130173000A1 (en) * 2011-12-30 2013-07-04 Metal Industries Research & Development Centre Interbody Cage for Spine Fusion

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19638806A1 (de) * 1996-09-20 1998-03-26 Bam Anlagen Und Maschinen Gmbh Kalibriermaschine für Federaugen

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE455167C (de) * 1926-05-11 1928-01-25 Maurice Requiere Ringuet Tragblattfeder, insbesondere fuer Kraftfahrzeuge
US2568169A (en) * 1949-05-11 1951-09-18 Zenith Radio Corp Stamped helical coil
US2608752A (en) * 1947-11-13 1952-09-02 Gen Motors Corp Method of making single leaf springs
US2742664A (en) * 1953-09-11 1956-04-24 Pennant Corp Hinge construction
US3389902A (en) * 1966-12-12 1968-06-25 William E. Young Snap-over center spring and method of making

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE455167C (de) * 1926-05-11 1928-01-25 Maurice Requiere Ringuet Tragblattfeder, insbesondere fuer Kraftfahrzeuge
US2608752A (en) * 1947-11-13 1952-09-02 Gen Motors Corp Method of making single leaf springs
US2568169A (en) * 1949-05-11 1951-09-18 Zenith Radio Corp Stamped helical coil
US2742664A (en) * 1953-09-11 1956-04-24 Pennant Corp Hinge construction
US3389902A (en) * 1966-12-12 1968-06-25 William E. Young Snap-over center spring and method of making

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3945625A (en) * 1972-05-29 1976-03-23 Ressorts Du Nord S. A. Leaf spring
US5362095A (en) * 1991-07-25 1994-11-08 Nicholas Eveley Resiliently mounted cantilever spring supported air spring suspension
US5365646A (en) * 1991-09-18 1994-11-22 Paccar Inc. Method of manufacturing an elongated spring member
WO1999047373A1 (en) * 1998-03-18 1999-09-23 The Boler Company Leaf spring distal end portion single rotation point attachment part
US6129369A (en) * 1998-03-18 2000-10-10 The Boler Company. Leaf spring distal end portion single rotation point attachment part
US20020167121A1 (en) * 2001-01-29 2002-11-14 Visteon Global Technologies, Inc. Composite bow mono-leaf spring
US20070108717A1 (en) * 2005-10-21 2007-05-17 Donald Stoesz Elongate spring member having bushing mounts with improved bushing retention characteristics
DE102010051560A1 (de) * 2010-11-18 2012-05-24 Frauenthal Automotive Components Gmbh Blattfeder und Verfahren zur Herstellung einer solchen Blattfeder
US20130150967A1 (en) * 2011-12-09 2013-06-13 Metal Industries Research & Development Centre Interbody Cage for Spine Fusion
US20130173000A1 (en) * 2011-12-30 2013-07-04 Metal Industries Research & Development Centre Interbody Cage for Spine Fusion
US8696752B2 (en) * 2011-12-30 2014-04-15 Metal Industries Research & Development Centre Interbody cage for spine fusion

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2095697A5 (xx) 1972-02-11
DE2119407A1 (de) 1971-12-09
CA942328A (en) 1974-02-19
JPS5564537U (xx) 1980-05-02
NL7105124A (xx) 1971-12-03
GB1316695A (en) 1973-05-09
BE767892A (fr) 1971-10-18
ES391820A1 (es) 1973-07-01
ZA712029B (en) 1971-12-29
SE365756B (xx) 1974-04-01

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