Prototype production and investigation of mechanical properties of leaf springs used in air suspension systems

Leaf springs are machine elements that provide safety and driving comfort by storing the energy caused by the loads coming to the chassis and transport elements depending on the road conditions. Leaf springs are suspension elements commonly used particularly in heavy commercial vehicles. In this study, prototype leaf spring production was realized by forming the metal sheet and making heat treatments. Residual stress analysis, hardness, bending and strain gauge measurements were performed to examine the mechanical properties of the leaf spring produced. After the applied tempering process, the leaf spring microstructure was examined.