Recessed leaf spring suspension system

1 . A leaf spring suspension system for a vehicle comprising:

an axle;

a leaf spring having a top side, a bottom side, and a pair of side edges, wherein at least one of the side edges defines a pair of recesses extending inwardly from the side edge; and

a clamping assembly operatively coupling the leaf spring to the axle, the clamping assembly comprising a pair of U-shaped bars, wherein a portion of the U-shaped bars is directly seated within the pair of recesses of the leaf spring, wherein the pair of recesses protrude inwardly from a side edge of the leaf spring and extend completely from the top side of the leaf spring to the bottom side of the leaf spring, each recess being defined by a recess wall, wherein a top region of the recess is defined by a scallop shaped wall extending away from the recess wall and connecting the recess wall to the top side of the leaf spring, and wherein a bottom region of the recess is defined by a scallop shaped wall extending away from the recess wall and connecting the recess wall to the bottom side of the leaf spring.

2 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the pair of recesses comprises an elliptical geometric cross-section.

3 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 2 , wherein the leaf spring is formed of a composite material, the strength of the leaf spring is configured to be increased with a tailored fiber placement arrangement disposed within at least a portion of the recess.

4 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the pair of recesses comprises a circular geometric cross-section.

5 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the scallop shaped wall at the top region of each recess is a curved segment connecting the recess wall to the top side of the leaf spring.

6 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the scallop shaped wall at the top region of each recess is a planar angled segment connecting the recess wall to the top side of the leaf spring.

7 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein a bottom region of each recess is defined by a scallop shaped wall extending away from the recess wall.

8 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 7 , wherein the scallop shaped wall at the bottom region of each recess is a curved segment connecting the recess wall to the bottom side of the leaf spring.

9 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 7 , wherein the scallop shaped wall at the bottom region of each recess is a planar angled segment connecting the recess wall to the bottom side of the leaf spring.

10 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the leaf spring is formed of a composite material.

11 . The leaf spring suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the leaf spring is formed of at least one of metal(s), reinforced polymers, and other combination materials.

12 . A method of designing a clamping assembly for a vehicle leaf spring suspension comprising:

determining a width and thickness of a leaf spring; and

determining a shape and dimension of a recess defined by a side edge of the leaf spring, the recess configured to have a portion of a leg of a clamp bar directly seated therein, wherein determining the shape and dimension of the recess defined by a side edge of the leaf spring, the recess extending completely from the top side of the leaf spring to the bottom side of the leaf spring and protruding inwardly from a side edge, is based on material stress limit calculations.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein determining the width and thickness of the leaf spring is based on a section modulus of the leaf spring.