Abstract
A four-leaf steel spring used in the rear suspension system of light vehicles is analyzed using ANSYS V5.4 software. The finite element results showing stresses and deflections verified the existing analytical and experimental solutions. Using the results of the steel leaf spring, a composite one made from fiberglass with epoxy resin is designed and optimized using ANSYS. Main consideration is given to the optimization of the spring geometry. The objective was to obtain a spring with minimum weight that is capable of carrying given static external forces without failure. The design constraints were stresses (Tsai–Wu failure criterion) and displacements. The results showed that an optimum spring width decreases hyperbolically and the thickness increases linearly from the spring eyes towards the axle seat. Compared to the steel spring, the optimized composite spring has stresses that are much lower, the natural frequency is higher and the spring weight without eye units is nearly 80% lower.
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