Highly elastic leaf spring

Abstract

The invention relates to a multilayered spring, especially for rail vehicles, having an inner and an outer connecting part and at least two spring layers that are located therebetween and are made alternately of an elastomeric layer and a sheet-metal layer. The elastomeric layers are vulcanized together with the connecting parts and the sheet-metal layers and the elastomeric layers of the spring layer have different thicknesses with respect to each other. Each elastomeric layer is made of the same material. The multilayered spring has a substantially conically contoured support plate which is arranged above the thickest spring layer in the direction in which load is applied. The inner portion of the softest layer initially rests on the support plate when the spring is loaded while the outer portions of the softest layer, followed by the other spring-layers, rest on the support plate in a continually increasing manner as the load increases. The contour of the support plate influences the characteristic line of the spring.

1 . (canceled) 
   
   
       2 . A multilayered spring for a vehicle, including a rail vehicle, the multilayered spring being subjectable to a load in a predetermined direction and comprising:
 an inner connecting part;   an outer connecting part;   a plurality of spring layers disposed between said connecting parts;   said spring layers including a plurality of sheet-metal layers and a plurality of elastomer layers alternating with corresponding ones of said sheet-metal layers;   said elastomer layers being vulcanized to corresponding ones of said connecting parts and said sheet-metal layers;   said elastomer layers having different thicknesses and one of said elastomer layers having a thickness greater than the remainder of said elastomer layers;   a conically-shaped contoured support plate mounted above said one elastomer layer in said load direction;   said one layer having an outer portion and being softer than said remainder of said elastomer layers; and,   said support plate corresponding to said elastomer layers to cause first said one layer to be supported against said support plate in response to said load and, with said load increasing, to cause said outer portion of said one layer and said remainder of said elastomer layers to become continuously and increasingly supported against said support plate.   
   
   
       3 . The multilayered spring of  claim 2 , wherein all of said elastomer layers are made of the same material. 
   
   
       4 . The multilayered spring of  claim 3 , wherein said one layer is thicker than the elastomer layers of said remainder of said elastomer layers by a factor of three.