Abstract
A method for reducing the contact noise of the Progressive Multi -Leaf Spring was investigated. It was found that the contact noise between the main and the help springs is the main source of the noise through our experiments. The conclusions from our experiments were compared with those from our numerical analysis by use of ABAQUS. The contact process between the two springs is examined by numerical simulations using ABAQUS on how the spring deforms with change of the applied external load. The main parameters for the unexpected noise in the progressive multi -leaf spring were investigated by investigating and analyzing a possible mechanism of noise generation in interactions between the spring based on the simulation results. It is found that the translational jump of the contact point between the main and the help spring leaves could be main mechanism causing the noise observed from the progressive multi -leaf spring. It is shown that tapping-noise can be successfully eliminated without a noticeable change of the spring stiffness by modifying the shape of a spring leaf.