shift in spring leaf

[ajayputta]

I am writing about leaf springs on the front axle of trucks. I see that after a short run (unladen also !!) the second leaf from the top shifts to the side by approx 10 mm. this causes it to hit the shackle. I find the U bolt torque to be OK.
I need help to understand if this is normal. what holds the leaves in line.

 

[GregLocock]

I'd take another look at the u bolt and interleaf pads, if I were you. I'm not too sure how long a leaf spring you can have before you need strps around them to hold them straight, perhaps you've gone over that limit. I can't really offer much help - i've never worked on conventional leaf springs.



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[ajayputta]

Thanks Greg Locock,

Could the deviation on the camber on the leaves cause this ?. My thinking is that if the camber of a particular leaf is less than the spec, the preload between the leaves could be lower causing the leaf to slip in service.

Thanks.

 

[GregLocock]

It could, but then when the wheel goes into rebound the short leafs always tend to unload, so they could slip then. Anyway, if you think about it, relying on the leaf's preload to hold it straight is inherently unstable, the natural tendency would be for the leaf to skew round. Cheers

Greg Locock