Investigation of friction in dual leaf spring

The paper presents the study of the operation of the prototype of the dual leaf spring that consists of a four-leaf main spring and a two-leaf auxiliary spring under the action of a cyclic load close to the actual operating conditions of a car suspension. The importance of friction in an operation of this type of structure has been mentioned; numerical methods and an experimental facility for studying the effect of friction on the spring operation have been considered. The investigation results have been presented in the form of summary tables, color-coded images, and diagrams of the temperature distribution for measuring points located on single leaves of the double spring. The methodology of experimental studies and the used equipment made it possible to evaluate the effect of friction and accompanying thermal stresses during the operation of the dual leaf spring.