Abstract
Leaf springs are essential elements in the suspension systems of vehicles including sport utility vehicles, trucks, and railroad vehicles. Accurate modeling of the leaf springs is necessary in evaluating ride comfort, braking performance, vibration characteristics, and stability. In order to accurately model the deformations and vibrations of the leaf springs, nonlinear finite-element procedures, which account for the dynamic coupling between different modes of displacement, are employed. Two finite-element methods that take into account the effect of the distributed inertia and elasticity are discussed in this investigation to model the dynamics of leaf springs. The first is based on a floating frame of reference formulation, while the second is an absolute nodal coordinate formulation. The floating frame of reference formulation allows for using a reduced-order model by employing component mode synthesis techniques, while the absolute nodal coordinate formulation enables more detailed finite-element models for the large deformation of very flexible leaf springs. Methods for modeling the contact and friction between the leaves of the spring are discussed. A comparison is also presented between the results obtained using the proposed method and simplified approaches presented in the literature. While there are many issues that can be important in leaf spring modeling, the analysis presented in this paper is focused on a few key issues that include the computer implementation, the effect of the dynamic load on the spring stiffness, the selection of the vibration modes in the reduced-order model, and the effect of the structural damping on the response of the leaf spring.