Abstract
We investigated the feasibility of a transversely isotropic approach to assess the strength properties during the design of a composite leaf spring. A modified Arcan test setup was developed to test the strength properties of the used non-crimp fabric based material in all orthotropic directions. Through comparisons with standardized coupon test methods for fiber-reinforced materials, a notch stress factor for tensile and shear load was derived. Our results indicate that fabric influences the material’s strength, and the assumption of transverse isotropy behavior is invalid. The measured transverse tensile strength was lower by a factor of 2.2 in the out-of-plane direction than in the in-plane direction, possibly leading to a lower resistance of leaf springs against delamination. Process induced differences did not significantly affect the measured strength in the tested directions. These findings will be useful in developing leaf springs with increased fatigue resistance.
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