US2095585A - Leaf spring - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 12, 1937. D, R, M, YATE 2,095,585

LEAF SPRING Filed Jan. 30, 1937 Patented Oct. 12, 1937 UNlTED STATES LEAF SPRING Donald Russell Martin Yates, Highclere, Chislehurst, England Application January 30, 1937, Serial No. 123,311 In Great Britain February 3, 1936 2 Claims.

This invention relates to leaf springs such as are commonly employed in the suspension of locomotives, railway, road and like vehicles and/or wagons.

In existing springs the various leaves are interconnected according to common practice by nibbing, so as to prevent relative sideways movement between the individual leaves, and in order to suspend the spring in correct position a buckle or strap is applied by a shrinkage process. In course of time, the individual leaves may wear or break and it becomes necessary to strip the spring, that is to say, to disperse the various leaves. During the process of stripping it is sometimes found that as many as 60% of. the buckles are cracked owing to excessive strains of shrinking on or pressing off.

The object of the present invention is to provide a means of assembly of the individual leaves of the spring so that they can readily be stripped in such a manner as to minimize or nullify the possibility of cracking of the spring buckles or straps.

Acccording to the present invention the leaves constituting the spring are embraced by a strap or buckle between which and the outside or top leaf of the spring is positioned one or more wedge shaped members whereby compression on the leaves can be adjusted.

Preferably two wedge shaped members are provided the adjustment of the compression on the leaves being obtained by means of tightening a U bolt which is adapted to pass through the strap or buckle and so exert a force on one of the wedge shaped members.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany ing drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation,

Figure 2 a section on the line 2-2 Figure 1 and Figure 3 a section on the line 3-3 Figure 1.

In the drawing, the leaves I of the spring are embraced by a strap or buckle 2 which as shown at the top is doubled upon itself and welded. A U-bolt 3 passes through a space between the undersurface of the top of the strap and the top leaf of the spring. llhe limbs: of the U- bolt pass through holes in a block 4 and embrace means for varying the compression on the leaves of the spring. The said means comprises two wedge shaped members 5, 6, the horizontal part 3' of the U-bolt acting upon the wedge 5 to draw it towards the block 4, the block 4 tending to force the wedge member 6 in the reverse direction.

When it is desired to strip the spring, all that is necessary is to slacken nuts 7 on the limbs of the U-bolt and hence allow the wedge shaped members to have relative movement whereby the compression on the leaves constituting the spring is reduced so that the individual leaves can readily be dispersed whereby the risk of cracking the buckle or strap is nullified or minimized.

Such an arrangement may be employed with the usual method of assembly in the buckle or strap, i. e. the shrinkage process or again it may advantageously be employed with the cold assembly process and buckle device described in my copending application No. 3278/36 in Great Britain.

What I claim is:-

1. A leaf spring for use in the suspension of locomotives, railway, road and like vehicles and/or wagons in which there is provided a straplike member which embraces the leaves of the spring, two wedge shaped members positioned between the straplike member and the outside leaf of the spring, a U-bolt which embraces said wedge members and passes throughsaid straplike member, a block carried by said U-bolt and against which one of said wedge members abuts and means for tightening said U-bolt to cause relative movement between said wedge members to adjust the compression on the leaves of the spring.

2. A leaf spring for use in the suspension of locomotives, railway, road and like vehicles and/ or wagons in which there is provided a straplike member which embraces the leaves of the spring, two wedge shaped members positioned between the straplike member and the outside leaf of the spring, a U-bolt which embraces said Wedge members and passes through said straplike member, the horizontal limb of the U-bolt abutting against one of said wedge members, a block carried by said U-bolt and against which the other wedge member abuts and means for tightening said U-bolt to cause relative movement between said wedge members to adjust the compression on the leaves of the spring.

DONALD RUSSELL MARTIN YATES.

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