Flexible leaf spring

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm attempting to use a leaf spring as a third/locating link in a 3-link suspension. However, I'm having trouble figuring out a way to model the leaf spring as a flexible part so the suspension arc follows the flattening arc that a leaf spring makes. I've tried searching google, youtube and the forums but theres very little on making leaf springs. 

I'd also like to say thanks for making the student software free and easily accessible. 

Yeroon

[JDMather]

I would dimension the length of the arc and then dimension the radius as a named parameter.

Then in Inventor Studio I would Animate Parameter.

There is an alternative technique using Adaptivity in the Scissors example in the Samples folder (requires downloading Samples).

[Anonymous]

I could not get that to work, though I'm not the most experienced inventor user.... I found a model leaf using segments to achieve a similar result and i think that will work for me as well, using a motion contraint along the segments to arch properly, though that is giving me a bit of difficulty beyond the first pair of segments. (was going to use 5 to model the leaf)