VSRD International Journal of Mechanical, Automobile and Production Engineering, Vol. 2 No.

8 October 2012 / 301

ISSN No. 2249-8303 (Online), 2319-2208 (Print) VSRD International Journals : www.vsrdjournals.com

RESEARCH ARTICLE
DESIGN OF A SEMIELLIPTICAL LEAF SPRING FOR
MEDIUM LOAD CONDITIONS USING CAD
1
Hari Pal Dhariwal*,
2
Barun Kumar Roy and
3
Raj Kumar Duhan
1
Lecturer, Department of Automobile Engineering, Govt. Polytechnic, Manesar, Haryana, INDIA.
2
Director, Om Institute of Technology & Management, Hisar, Haryana, INDIA.
3
Assistant Professor, UIET, MDU Campus, Rohtak, Haryana, INDIA.
*Corresponding Author : hpdhariwal@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Leaf spring design is a complicated process. In today scenario especially in cities small trucks are widely used. Based on their load
requirement a computer aided design is presented. These designs can be modified as per material and the load requirements.
Keywords : CAD- Computer Aided Design, SELS- Semi Elliptical Leaf Springs, 2D- Two Dimensional.

1. INTRODUCTION
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring, commonly used for
the suspension in wheeled vehicles. It is also one of the
oldest forms of springing. Sometimes referred to as a semi-
elliptical leaf spring (SELS) it takes the form of a slender
arc-shaped length of spring steel of rectangular cross-
section. The centre of the arc provides location for the axle,
while tie holes are provided at either end for attaching to the
vehicle body
A more modern implementation is the parabolic leaf spring.
This design is characterized by fewer leaves whose
thickness varies from centre to ends following a parabolic
curve. In this design, inter-leaf friction is unwanted, and
therefore there is only contact between the springs at the
ends and at the centre where the axle is connected.
The leaf performs several functions that other suspension
systems might need additional hardware to serve.
The leaf does the following functions :
Supports the chassis weight.
Controls chassis roll more efficiently--high rear
moment center and wide spring base.
Controls rear end wrap-up.
Controls axle damping.
Controls lateral forces much the same way a hard bar
does.
Controls braking forces.
Regulates wheelbase lengths (rear steers) under
acceleration and braking.
2. MATERIAL AND METHODS FOR
CONSTRUCTION OF LEAF SPRINGS
Considering :
Material of the Spring is 50 Cr 1
Thickness of Leaves = t
Width of Each Leaf = b
No of Leaves = n
Maximum Load = W
Length of Cantilever Spring = L
Modulus of Elasticity of Material = E
Maximum Bending Moment in the Centre (M) = W.L
Length Of Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs Leaves,
The length of the leaf springs leaves may be obtained as
discussed below :
2L
1
= Length of span or overall length of the spring
= Width of Band or distance between centers of U-
Bolts. It is the ineffective length of the spring
n
f
= Number of full length leaves
n
g
= Number of graduated leaves
n = Total number of leaves (Full length leaves +
Graduated leaves)
Effective length of the spring
2L = 2L
1
- (When band is used) (1)
= 2L
1
-
2
3
(When U-bolts are used) (2)
When there is only one full-length leaf (i.e. master leaf
only), then the number of leaves to be cut will be n and
when there are two full length leaves (including one master
leaf), then the number of leaves to be cut will be (n-1) if a
leaf spring has two full-length leaves, then the length of
leaves is obtained as follows:
Length of smallest leaf =
L]]cctc Lcngth
n-1
+ Ineffective
Length (3)
Length of next leaf=
L]]cctc Lcngth
n-1
2

+ Ineffective
Length (4)
Hari Pal Dhariwal, Barun Kumar Roy and Raj Kumar Duhan VSRDIJMAPE, Vol. 2(8), 2012 / 302


Similarly,
Length of (n-1) the leaf =
L]]cctc Lcngth
n-1
(n-1) +
Ineffective Length (5)
The nth leaf will be the master leaf and it is of full length.
Since the master leaf has eyes on both sides, therefore
Length of Master Leaf = 2L
1
+ (d + t) 2 (6)
Where d = Inside diameter of eye
t = Thickness of master leaf
The relation between the radius of curvature(R) and the
camber (y) of the spring is given by :
y (2R + y) = (L
1
)
2
(7)
Where L
1
= Half span of the spring.
The maximum deflection () of the spring is equal to
camber (y) of the spring.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Before design leaf spring calculations , assuming
Load for which leaf will be designed = 1500 N
Length of the span (2L
1
) = 600 mm
Ineffective Length of Spring = 80 mm
Stress (E) = 0.2 x 10
6
N/mm

Width of Leaf ( b) = 60mm
Bending Stress = 350 N/mm
Thickness of the Leaves
2 L = 2L
1
- = 600- 80
L = 260 mm
Assuming that the leaves are not initially stressed, therefore
maximum stress or bending stress is given by :
18 w L
b t n
= =
18 X 750 X 260
60 X t X 4

t = 6.46 = 6.5 mm
Deflection of the Spring
=
12 w L
L .b .t n
= =
12 X 750 X 260
0.2 x 10 X 60 X 6.5 X 4

= 12 mm
Length of Leaves
By Putting values in Equations 1 to 7.
Length of Smallest Leaves = 166.66 = 170 mm (Approx.)
Approx. Values are considered due to ease in manufacturing
availability and design considerations.
Length of second Leaves = 253 = 255 mm
Length of Third Leaves = 339.8 = 345 mm
Fourth Leaf may be taken as = 600 mm
Radius of curvature of the Spring
y (2R + y) = (L
1
)
2
12 ( 2 R + 12 ) = (300)
2
R = 3756 mm
From the above results, A design is made in CAD-2D as
shown in figure 1. This model is generated in Auto CAD
version 2006, by using different tools.

Fig. 1 : A CAD modeling of Semielliptical Leaf Spring
In figure 2, a simplified drawing on paper is drawn with all
leaf spring specifications.

Fig. 2 : Assembled View of Leaf Spring
4. CONCLUSION
Based on the material characteristics and mathematical
calculations semielliptical leaf spring is designed for the
small load. Using CAD technology simplified drawing is
made and easily understood as shown in figure 1 and 2. This
type of suspension system can be used in small loading
vehicles like mini trucks.
Hari Pal Dhariwal, Barun Kumar Roy and Raj Kumar Duhan VSRDIJMAPE, Vol. 2(8), 2012 / 303


5. FUTURE SCOPE
Improvement can be done for the fitment between stiffness
to weight ratio as the weight reduction is the main focus of
automobile manufacturing industries in the present
environment.
6. REFERENCES
[1] M.L Aggarwal Influence of Shot Peening Intensity on
Fatigue Design Reliability of 65 Si7 Spring Steel Indian
Journal of Engineering and Material Sciences Vol.5
December 2005, pp.515-520.
[2] F.N.Ahmad Refngah, S.Abdullah, Life Assessment of a
Parabolic Spring Under Cyclic Strain Loading European
Journal of Scientific Research ISSN 1450-216X Vol.28 No.3 ,
pp.351-363,2009.
[3] V. K. Aher, Mr. P. M. Sonawane / International Journal of
Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-
9622 www.ijera.com Vol. 2, Issue4, July-August 2012,
pp.1786-1791
[4] V.Lakshmi Design and Analysis Of Mono Composite Leaf
Spring For Suspension in Automobiles IJERT, Vol. 1 Issue 6,
August 2012.
[5] H.P.Dhariwal Improvement in Design parameters by using
Parabolic Leaf Springs in Vehicles YMCA University of
Science and Technology, M.Tech Thesis 2009.
[6] R.S. Khurmi , J.K.Gupta A Text Book of Machine Design
edition 1999 pp.725-737.