US1221109A - Vehicle-spring. - Google Patents

Description

P. L. TITUS.

VEHlCLE SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1916.

LQQLIUQ, Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

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a mum/H201,

TOFFTCE.

lPHENNU L. TITU'S, OF JPJETROJLIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

marina.

Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed July 12, 1916. Serial No. 108,900.

To all whom a may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHENNo L. TrrUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petrolia, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- Springs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to springs designed for vehicles and particularlyto leaf springs.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a spring in which the leaves will be progressively tensioned so that the load will not come upon the upper or shorter leaves until the longer or lower leaves have been loaded down or tensioned to a certain extent, and a further object is to so construct the spring that the adjacent leaves will only touch at one point for a short portion of their length until a considerable load has come upon the leaves so that the area of contact between the adjacent leaves will be increased gradually as the load increases.

A further object is to so construct these leaves that they will not 'be liable to break when strain comes upon them.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of of my improved spring; 1

Fig. 2 is a like view of another form of spring; and

Fig. 3 is a like view of still another form one form of spring and constructed in accordance with my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, which illustrates one form of my invention 10, 11, 12 and 13 designate four leaf springs gradually decreasing in length from the springs to the springs 13. These springs are spaced from eachother by washers or spacing members 14 disposed between the several leaves at the middle of the spring and the springs and washers are connected to each other and to the vehicle or other body to which the springs are to be applied by any suitable means as by the U-shaped bolts 15 and the central bolt 16. It will be noted that in this form of the invention all of the leaves spaced for the greater portion of their length from the adjacent leaves. In Fig. 2 I show the same idea as applied to a double spring. Each spring comprises the leaves are normally lPatentedhpr.3,101't.

10, 11, 12 and 13 (or any other suitable number) spaced from each other by smcing members 1-1, the longest leaves of each set being shackled to each other at their extremities as at 17. In Fig. 3 I show what I believe to be the preferred form of my invention in which 10, 11 12 and 13 each other by washers at the middle of the leaves, but by -integral bosses or thickened portions 17 the thickened portion or boss at the middle of one leaf resting against the face of the middle portion of the next-adja cent leaf. These integral bosses or thickened portions 17 are beveled as at 18 and the leaves are connected to each other in any suitable manner as by the central bolt 19. The leaf l0 may either be connected to the axle or to the body of the vehicle as found most suitable and in all other respects the composite springs which I have described above may be used in precisely the same manner as ordinary springs and in all situations where bowed springs may he used, it being obvious that I am not limited in the application of these with vehicles. 7

In actual practice it has been found that these springs add very much to the ease and comfort of riding and the particular construction is such that the springs absorb shocks Very effectively. When a load is placed upon the middle of the spring the longest leaf will be first deflected or straight-. ened and placed under tension and then as the load-is .increased the extremities of the second leaf will engage the adjacent face of the longest leaf and as the spring is still further deflected the area of contact of this second leaf with the first leaf will be gradually increased; meanwhile the second leaf are not spaced from has engaged the extremities of the third leaf faces 18 of the spacing members or bosses reduce the chances of breaking the leaves. While in Fig. 1,

l[ have illustrated the spacing members as being separate from the leaves, ll wish it understood that they may be attached to the leaves if desired or,

the several bowed leaves 7 springs to their use as in Fig. 3, formed as integral parts of the leaves, and the term spacing members as hereinafter used, it is designed to include, not only a spacing member which is separate from a leaf but a spacing member formed operatively engaged with each other at the middle of the spring but being uniformly spaced from and out of operative engagement with each other for the remainder of their length under normal conditions, whereby to secure end contact between the leaves and progressive flexure of the leaves as the spring is deflected.

2. A composite spring comprising a plurality of superposed bowed leaves, the leaves being progressively shorter in one direction, and means disposed between the leaves'at the middle of the spring for spacing said springs from each other .uniformly throughout the remainder of their entire extent and out of operative engagement with each other under normal conditions whereby to cause end contact between the leaves and progressive flexure of the leaves under load.

3. Acomposite vehicle springcomprising a plurality of bowed leaves, the leaves becoming progressively shorter from the base a leaf upward or downward, spacing members, spacing the leaves from each other at the middle of the spring, the leaves being so formed that under normal conditions the leaves are spaced from and out of operative engagement with each other, the extremities of one leaf will be initially engaged by the fiexure of the leaf below, and the area of contact between the leaves will increase as the strain increases.

4. A composite vehicle spring comprising a plurality of superposed bowed leaves, the leaves bemg progressively shorter in one direction, one of said leaves constituting a base leaf and. the other leaves each having a thickened portion at its middle engaging the next adjacent leaf, the remainder of the length of each leaf being spaced from the corresponding portion of the adjacent leaf throughout their entire extent under normal conditions, whereby the-leaves will engage at their ends and be progressively flexed as strain comes upon the spring, and means for holding the leaves in engagement with each other.

5. A composite vehicle spring comprising a plurality of superposed bowed leaves, the leaves being progressively shorter in one direction, one of said leaves constituting a base leaf and the other leaves each having a thickened portion at its middle engaging the the next adjacent leaf, the remainder of the leaf beyond this thickened portion being spaced from and out of operative engage ment with the next adjacent leaf throughout its entire extent, whereby the leaves will be progressively flexed as strain comes upon the spring, the extremities of said thickened portions being beveled.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of, two witnesses.

PHENNO L. 'rrrus.

Witnesses:

Mrs. P. L. Trrns, J. B. Trrns.

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