Abstract
This paper performs static and dynamic tests of a multi-leaf spring and a tapered leaf spring to investigate their hysteretic characteristics. In the static test, trapezoidal input load is applied with 0.1Hz excitation frequency and with zero initial loading conditions. In the dynamic test, sinusoidal input load is applied with five excitation amplitudes and three excitation frequencies. In these tests, static and dynamic hysteretic characteristics of the multi-leaf spring and the tapered leaf spring are compared, and, the effects of excitation amplitudes and frequencies on dynamic spring rate are also shown. In this paper, actual vehicle tests are performed to study the effects of hysteretic characteristics of the large-sized truck's handling performance. The multi-leaf spring or the tapered leaf spring is used in the front suspension. The actual vehicle test is performed in a double lane change track with three velocities. Lateral acceleration, yaw rate and roll angle are measured using a gyro-meter located at the mass center of the cab. The test results showed that a large-sized truck with a tapered leaf spring needs to have an additional apparatus such as roll stabilizer bar to increase the roll stabilizer due to hysteretic characteristics.
