V-Shaped Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Leaf Spring Suspension
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of fiber-reinforced plastic leaf springs in motor vehicle wheel suspensions often results in a massive structure at the body-side connection, which negates the weight advantage of lighter spring devices and requires additional reinforcement, leading to increased overall vehicle weight.
Innovation Solution
A spring device comprising a first and second leaf spring made of fiber-reinforced plastic forming a V-shaped structure with specific fastening devices for vehicle-body-side and wheel-side support, allowing for body-side force introduction via two spaced points and enabling a lower overall height with high energy absorption capacity, while eliminating the need for coil springs and reducing the vehicle's trunk width.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a single leaf spring made of fiber-reinforced plastic is used as a transverse control arm, then the spring device weight is reduced, but a massive body-side connection structure is required which negates the weight advantage
Solution Approach 1:
The single leaf spring is divided into two separate leaf springs (first and second leaf springs) that form a V-shaped structure. This segmentation allows the body-side connection to be distributed across two spaced points rather than concentrated at one location, enabling a lighter body-side connection structure while maintaining structural integrity and weight reduction benefits.
2Weight of moving object
If fiber-reinforced plastic leaf springs are used, then weight is reduced, but additional reinforcement measures are required at the body-side connection
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the spring device into two leaf springs forming a V-shape, the connection points are separated in space. This reduces the complexity at each individual connection point while distributing the load, eliminating the need for massive reinforcement structures that would be required with a single spring configuration.
3Weight of stationary object
If a V-shaped structure with two leaf springs is used, then body-side connection structure weight is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The two leaf springs are joined at their ends to form a integrated V-shaped structure that functions as a unified control arm assembly. This merging approach allows the structure to achieve the weight reduction benefits of distributed connections while maintaining structural coherence and avoiding the need for separate complex mounting arrangements.
4Use of energy by moving object
If conventional coil springs are replaced by the V-shaped leaf spring structure, then energy absorption capacity is maintained, but the overall height is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The V-shaped configuration redistributes the spring geometry from a vertical stacking arrangement to a diagonal/angular arrangement. This dimensional change allows the spring device to achieve comparable energy absorption capacity through increased effective length and leverage while reducing the vertical height dimension, creating more space in the vehicle's trunk area.
Data Source
AI summary
A spring device for a motor vehicle wheel suspension that includes a first leaf spring made of fiber-reinforced plastic and a second leaf spring made of fiber-reinforced plastic. The second leaf spring is shorter than the first leaf spring and together with the first leaf spring forms a V-shaped structure, which, in the region of the joined ends of the V-shape, has a first fastening device for the vehicle-body-side support and at the free ends of the V shape has a second fastening device on the first leaf spring for wheel-side support and a third fastening device on the second leaf spring for vehicle-body-side support.