Stiffness analysis of parallel leaf-spring flexures

Approximate straight displacements are often made using a parallel leaf-spring flexure. This flexure serves as a typical case for studying the influence of shear and the compliance of the reinforced mid sections of the leaf-springs in the support stiffnesses cz and cy. The conclusions drawn, however, hold true for the rotational stiffness crx also, while the stiffness in the ry and rz direction can be approximated based on cz and cy. It turns out that shear plays an important role for short relatively wide leaf-springs at small deflections. The compliance of a reinforcement needs to be taken into account for determining the support stiffness at small deflections.