Patent ID: 7665716

Claim:
Vehicle suspension comprising: a pair of leaf springs locatable on respective opposed sides of a chassis of an associated vehicle and extending longitudinally thereof; and an anti-roll device which is arranged to extend transversally of the vehicle chassis with opposed ends of the anti-roll device mounted solely to equivalent ends of the springs as close as is practically possible to where the springs connect to the vehicle chassis; rigid mounting means at the opposed ends of anti-roll device for preventing any and all relative movement of the opposed ends of the anti-roll device to respective ones of the pair of opposed leaf spring and cooperating with the anti-roll device during spring deflection, when the springs deflect in different directions to each other, to change the springs from pin-jointed characteristic beams toward fixed ended characteristic beams at the equivalent ends only when the springs deflect in different directions, as when the vehicle rolls, thus substantially increasing a stiffness of the springs during vehicle roll, the springs staying as pin-jointed characteristic beams when the springs deflect in the same direction, as during normal vehicle ride motions, thus retaining a normal softer stiffness of the springs when roll is not occurring; and spacing means at the opposed ends of the anti-roll device for mounting the anti-roll device at a substantial offset distance from a neutral axis in bending of the springs and cooperating with the anti-roll device to resist the spring deflection when the springs deflect in opposite directions to produce resistance forces that combine with the offset distance from the neutral axis to create moments in the springs to further change spring bending characteristics from pin-jointed to fixed ended beam characteristics when the springs deflect in different, opposing directions during vehicle roll, thus further substantially increasing the stiffness of the springs only during vehicle roll.