Leaf springs are a type of suspension spring made of flexible, flat steel strips that are curved in an arc and attached to a vehicle’s underbody to support the axle and absorb shock. They are generally used for heavy vehicles and come in two types: single-leaf and multi-leaf. While they were once common in cars, they are now mostly used in trucks and other heavy vehicles.
A leaf spring is a simple type of suspension spring commonly used on vehicles. This type of spring is typically constructed of one or more flexible, thin, flat strips of steel that are joined together to function as a single unit. The steel strips of a leaf spring are curved in an arc and attached at each end to the underbody of a vehicle to help position and support the axle, as well as absorb shock.
Leaf springs are generally better able to evenly distribute the weight of a heavy load than common coil-type springs. Although leaf springs have been in use for hundreds of years, today they are only used for trucks and other heavy vehicles.
There are two basic types of leaf springs, single-leaf and multi-leaf. A single-leaf spring has just one arc-shaped strip of steel, which is usually very thick in the middle with much thinner ends. A multi-leaf spring is constructed of several arc-shaped steel strips of different lengths that are stacked together with the longer strip at the top and the shorter strip at the bottom. Multi-leaf springs can generally handle much higher loads than single-leaf springs.
Leaf springs are sometimes called semi-elliptical, carriage, or leaf springs. The center of this arch-shaped spring is usually attached to the axle of the vehicle it supports, while the ends of the spring are attached to the frame itself. In some cases, a leaf spring may be attached to the vehicle’s frame at one end and the other end will be attached to a short swing arm known as a shackle. This type of spring setup often helps provide a softer, less stiff suspension system. Some car manufacturers have recently developed a leaf spring that is constructed of a plastic-like composite material to provide a softer type of rear suspension.
Leaf springs are probably one of the oldest forms of spring-type suspension systems, having been in use since medieval times. Until recently, leaf springs were a common component of the rear suspension of most cars. The introduction of front-wheel drive light-duty vehicles has basically made the use of leaf springs unnecessary, and automakers are now using coil springs for front and rear suspension systems. Leaf springs are now generally used only for heavier commercial type vehicles such as trucks, vans, trailers, and railroad cars.
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