Editing Leaf spring (section)

{{Short description|Type of vehicle suspension}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English |date=February 2024}}
[[Image:leafs1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|A traditional semi-elliptical Hotchkiss leaf spring arrangement. On the left, the spring is connected to the frame through a shackle.]]
A '''leaf spring''' is a simple form of [[spring (device)|spring]] commonly used for [[suspension (vehicle)|suspension]] in [[wheel]]ed [[vehicle]]s.  Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a '''semi-elliptical spring''', '''elliptical spring''',  or '''cart spring''', it is one of the oldest forms of vehicle suspension. A leaf spring is one or more narrow, arc-shaped, thin plates that are attached to the axle and chassis in a way that allows the leaf spring to flex vertically in response to irregularities in the road surface. Lateral leaf springs are the most commonly used arrangement, running the length of the vehicle and mounted perpendicular to the wheel axle, but numerous examples of [[transverse leaf spring]]s exist as well.

Leaf springs can serve multiple suspension functions: location, springing, and to some extent damping as well, through interleaf friction. However, this friction is not well controlled, resulting in [[stiction]] and irregular suspension motions. For this reason, some manufacturers have used mono-leaf springs.