Composite Spring Research Articles

FEA of Composite Leaf Spring for Light Commercial Vehicle: Technical Note

The intent of automotive sector for 21st century is to save fuel and reduce emissions. Due to this, the automotive designers are revisiting automotive systems and its parts for reducing the mass of the vehicles. For a suspension system, leaf spring is one of the key targets for weight reduction because it adds to unsprung mass which affects the ride quality of the vehicle. In this present study, a novel material such as a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) was selected. The polyester resin was used for conducting the numerical analysis via finite element analysis technique using ANSYS R15.0 software. Stresses, deformation and strain energy results for both steel and composite leaf spring material were obtained. Result shows that, the composite spring has a maximum strain energy than the steel leaf spring. The design constraints were stresses, deformations and strain energy. Compared to the steel spring, the composite spring (S-glass fiber) resulted in higher deformation, strain energy and stress.

Design and analysis of composite mono leaf spring for passenger cars

The suspension leaf spring is one of the most crucial parts which help in improving the ride quality of an automobile. It is devised to absorb, store and release the energy. A considerable reduction of unsprung weight is generally adopted to improve comfort and ride quality. A simple but yet effective method to meet this objective is replacing the metallic leaf spring by a composite spring. Other than weight reduction, the composite leaf spring provides additional benefits such as high strength to weight ratio and high elastic strain energy storage capacity. In this research work, a steel mono leaf spring which could be employed in passenger cars is taken as reference, which is further analyzed and compared with composite mono leaf design. The objective of this research work is to investigate the suitability of hybrid composite spring which incorporates carbon fibers and flax fibers as primary and secondary reinforcements respectively. The natural frequency of the composite leaf spring was found to be 93% more than that of steel. Moreover, the incorporation of flax layers in between carbon fibers increased the factor of safety and strain energy owing to its high damping properties.

Design and Performance Analysis of Multi-Leaf Spring Using Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic-Metal Matrix Composite

Car segments have an expanding rivalry in the market and it will in general create development in the current items by either succeed with another or altered propelled material items. A suspension framework is one of the most intriguing push territories on vehicle structure. This task effort is worried about the plan and investigation of mechanical portrayal of leaf springs that are in effect despite everything utilized generally in cars as suspension segments. Car makers have the due significance on enhancement for the mileage of the vehicle which thusly on a structure perspective the weight decrease is the most concerned one. There by the strength-weight proportion idea has been created and composite material is executed. The utilization of composite leaf spring rather than ordinary steel leaf spring is favored for the examination due to its high solidarity to weight proportion. It is made convincing to decrease the weight of the leaf spring without relinquishing the solidness and burden conveying limit of the spring by the usage of composite materials. The target of this task work is the plan and examination of the exhibition qualities of Glass Fiber Reinforced plastic (GFRP) with iron powder as a composite leaf spring and correlation with traditional leaf spring. The composite example is created utilizing hand layup technique. Exploratory work have been completed an all Universal Testing Machine for the composite and ordinary steel leaf spring and approved with the ANSYS investigation. The investigation results are connected so near test.

Analysis of Elliptical Shape Composite Spring Mounting

A motor mounting is an application segment that interfaces the motor section to the machine edge of unit. Motor is connected with the machine body by a few mounts, which are significant for smooth activity of use. A motor mount is utilized to confine body from vibration during working and motor created commotion varying sorts of mounts are use in apparatus and vehicles. Varying kinds of mounts are use in apparatus and vehicles. Elastomeric mount are minimal effort and least complex kind of mounts, they smother motor power/torque and vibrations through cooling. An elastomeric mount can give the predetermined solidness to the reverberation control and stun retention; however elastic damping in low frequencies isn't adequate. Circular shape spring mounting might be a vibration and stun isolator planned explicitly for back mounted motor applications and is reasonable to watch the apparatus client against stun and vibration in back held application like motor sprayers, trimmers and expresses. Material chose for spring is SS304 (from 0.3 ~ 0.8mm) thickness and polymer material as support in spring. The two materials are resistant to consumption and work productively under wide choice of temperature. Essential structure utilizes high pliable hardened stainless-steel SS304 framed leaves on all sides with the polymer sheet of 6mm thickness. Unigraphics Nx-8.0 is used for 3D modeling and Analysis of component and meshing is completed with the help of Ansys work Bench16.0.

Journal Vol – 15 No -7, July 2020 Journal > Journal > Journal Vol – 15 No -7, July 2020 > Page 6 PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF GASOLINE-ETHANOL BLENDS ON PFI-SI ENGINE Authors: D.Vinay Kumar ,G.Samhita Priyadarsini,V.Jagadeesh Babu,Y.Sai Varun Teja, DOI NO: https://doi.org/10.26782/jmcms.2020.07.00051 admin July 26, 2020 Abstract: Alcohol based fuels can be produced from renewable energy sources and

Journal Vol – 15 No -7, July 2020 Journal > Journal > Journal Vol – 15 No -7, July 2020 > Page 6 PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF GASOLINE-ETHANOL BLENDS ON PFI-SI ENGINE Authors: D.Vinay Kumar ,G.Samhita Priyadarsini,V.Jagadeesh Babu,Y.Sai Varun Teja, DOI NO: https://doi.org/10.26782/jmcms.2020.07.00051 admin July 26, 2020 Abstract: Alcohol based fuels can be produced from renewable energy sources and

Modeling of viscoelastic properties of composite springs in wheeled vehicles suspension systems

The article provides a review of models allowing to take into account the viscoelastic properties of springs made using polymer composite materials. The features of solving equations with fractional derivatives that describe the considered models are considered. The equation of the stress-strain state of the composite spring is obtained, which takes into account the rheological properties of the material. A model has been developed in MATLAB / Simulink, which allows calculating composite springs. A composite spring was made and tested, which made it possible to compare the elastic characteristics of the spring obtained as a result of modeling and experiment. The authors of the article determined the scope of such springs in the automotive industry and the direction of improvement of composite springs used in wheeled vehicles.

Study on noise characteristics of a novel equal-thickness screen

As the key unit in coal preparation and utilization, equal-thickness screens characterized by a large capacity and high efficiency have been extensively applied in coal preparation plants. Recently, the noise pollution caused by the screening of coal has become more and more serious. Reducing the noise of vibrating screens is the key to control the noise of coal preparation plants. In this article, the noise test system was used to measure three-dimensional (3D) sound intensity of the equal-thickness screen. According to the analysis of sound intensity distribution and spectral coherence, the main sources of noise were identified. The main sources of noise of equal-thickness screen were vibration motors, side panel, screen surface and damping supports. A displacement model was fitted to the experimental data, and the kinematics of the sieve body was studied. The results showed that the amplitude of the sieve body decreased as the distance from the feeding end (towards the discharge end). Similarly, the intensity of the noise decreased about 2 dB in the same direction (from the feeding end to discharge end). However, in the direction perpendicular to the movement of the material, the noise distribution was symmetrical. Finally, various noise reduction measures were also put forth. It could be seen that when the composite spring was adopted as the damping support and the structures of vibration motors, screen surface and side panel were changed, the noise could be effectively reduced.

Estimation of the uncertainty of hydrologic predictions in a karstic Mediterranean watershed

The Koiliaris River basin is a semi-arid Mediterranean karstic watershed where water needs during the summer are exclusively covered by the karstic springs flow. Uncertainty assessment of the hydrologic projections for karstic watersheds may reveal possible water deficits that cannot otherwise be taken into account. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) along with a karstic model (Karst-SWAT) is used to assess the composite spring and surface flow. The parameter uncertainty of both the surface and karstic flow models is estimated by combining the SUFI2 interface and the @RISK by PALISADE software. Eleven combinations of five Regional Climate Models (RCMs) and three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) provide input to the hydrologic models. Representative rainfall time series for certain scenarios are stochastically modeled with the LARS weather generator. Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the effect of input internal variability on the flow output. The uncertainty of karstic flow due to the parameter uncertainty of the SWAT and Karst-SWAT models is 10.0% (Coefficient of Variation), which is comparable to the estimated uncertainty due to climate change scenarios (10.1%) until 2059. The combined uncertainty for the total flow at the basin exit due to both models' parameter uncertainty is 6.6%, comparable to the uncertainty due to the internal variability (5.6%). The total uncertainty of karstic flow, combining model parameter uncertainty and the internal variability of the climate scenarios is 11.0%. The total uncertainty estimate is used in conjunction with the lowest karstic flow projection to assess the most adverse scenario for the future mean annual karstic flow. This is the first study which estimates the combined uncertainty of surface and karstic flow prediction due to model parameter uncertainty and internal variability. Our study provides a rigorous methodology for uncertainty estimation and analysis which is transferable to other karstic regions of the world.

Analysis viscoelastic properties of the composite leaf spring

In modern conditions of market competition leading manufacturers of wheeled vehicles and their components actively introduce new technologies in the process of production of their products. One of the directions of modern automobile industry development is application of new materials, which include polymeric composite materials (PCM). In the given research the analysis of elastic properties of a leaf spring made of application of polymeric composite materials is carried out. In the study the analysis of the construction by finite element (FE) method and the analysis of the results of bench tests are carried out. To carry out the research, the appropriate design was made, the methods of testing of the elastic element under consideration were developed, the composite spring was mathematically simulated for the purpose of its verification and the possibility of its further use. As a result of the work performed, the maximum deflections of the leaf spring under consideration were established when loading the corresponding load in the suspension system of GAZ-2752 "Sobol" car. The executed bench experiment has established he maximum deflection of a spring. Similar values were obtained by the FE-method. These results show that it is impossible to use the leaf spring in the suspension system of a GAZ-2752 car.

Design, modeling and structural analysis of single-turn composite wave springs

Bu calismada, tek-katli kompozit dalgali yaylarin basi yuku altindaki mekanik davranislari numerik olarak incelenmistir. Numerik analizler, Ansys Workbench ve ACP Modulu sonlu elemanlar programi kullanilarak yapilmistir. Numerik dogrulama celik dalgali yay probleminin numerik sonuclari ile analitik sonuclar karsilastirilarak yapilmistir. Dogrulamadan sonra, sonlu elemanlar modeli bu calisma icin genisletilmistir. Kompozit malzeme olarak karbon fiber/epoksi ve cam fiber/epoksi secilmistir. Tasarim parametreleri olarak dalga sayisi (4, 6 ve 8) ve kompozit kalinligi (tabaka sayisi; 4, 6, 8, 10 ve 12) ele alinmistir. Bu tasarim parametreleri ve malzeme turleri icin yay rijitlikleri hesaplanmis ve celik yay ile kiyaslamalar yapilmistir. Yaylarin hasar yukleri, Tsai-Wu hasar kriteri kullanilarak belirlenmistir. Buna ek olarak, hibritlestirme etkisinin yayin mekanik davranisa etkisi incelenmistir. Numerik sonuclar, kompozit tasarim parametreleri dogru olarak secildiginde celige yakin rijitlik degerlerinin ve yayda onemli agirlik azaltiminin saglanabilecegini gostermistir.

Fabrication and analysis of Master leaf spring plate using carbon fibre and pineapple leaf fibre as natural composite materials

This paper deals with fabrication and analyse of parabolic leaf spring plate made up of carbon fibre and pineapple leaf fibre as composite materials. The automobile trade has shown keen interest for replacement of steel spring plate thereupon of composite spring. The stuff has high strength to weight ratio, smart corrosion resistance and tailorable properties. The spring plate is fabricated by open moulding method with three different materials. The primary layer of the fabric is carbon fibre mat and second layer is created of epoxy or polyepoxide, which is placed over the carbon fibre layer. The third layer made from pineapple fibre mat. A comparison has been made between composite fibre and glass fibre reinforced leaf spring plate with regard to compression strength, impact strength and Brinell hardness. The result shows that leaf spring plate made up of carbon fibre and pineapple leaf fibre composites are lighter weight and better strength than the epoxy glass spring. Potential materials are determined to replace these metallic leaf springs plate while not relinquishing strength and well raising structural weight.

Optimization of a mono-composite leaf spring using a hybrid fiber-layup approach

Conventional leaf springs are simple in design, utilizing multiple metallic bars (leaves) with low geometrical moment of inertia to generate an economical and linear spring rate. In its early form, the leaf-spring was manufactured using metals like steel, but, in modern applications, there exist composite leaves reinforced by advance glass and carbon fibers. Benefits of composite spring designs include: high specific strength, ability to form complex profiles, and possibility of subcomponent consolidation to reduce assembly. Due to the bending characteristics of the leaf spring, the axial load decreases through the beam thickness, reaching a minimum at the neutral surface. Given this fact, a design optimization approach for mono-composite leaf springs is developed considering a hybrid fiber-layup. Initially, a detailed topology optimization is conducted to optimize the geometry of the leaf spring based on the Tsai-Wu failure model. This process yielded a unique spring design which reduced the mass of the spring by 29% compared to the initial non-optimized spring and 80–90% compared to a steel spring. Subsequently, the design is further optimized by replacing low stress, high modulus reinforcement with lower modulus and cost-effective materials to improve overall vehicle mass, efficiency, and operation. The second stage of the optimization based on the hybrid fiber-layup approach resulted in an additional 7% mass reduction. As there is a connection between fuel efficiency and vehicle mass, the significant reduction of spring mass has a positive impact on vehicle fuel consumption and leads to suspension responsiveness gains. Moreover, the possibility of swapping up to 20% of the middle plies reinforcement with commodity plastics demonstrates the cost benefits of the hybrid fiber-layup design approach considering the high cost of carbon and other high-performance reinforcements.

Mechanical Behaviors of Composite Leaf Springs with Additive of Carbon Nanotubes and Chitosan

Suspension systems are automotive parts which absorb sudden impacts caused by roads and providing comfort have an essential role in the automotive sector. Reducing weight is a fundamental way to decrease energy consumption and emission release. This study establishes improvement conditions by analysing layered composite springs which have different compositions and different support angles under various weights. Ten plaques which made with various compositions chitosan and carbon nanotubes, also one-way glass fiber/epoxy composite plaques with prepreg method and one unalloyed plaque were produced. Standard samples were extracted by water jet and pull&push test were applied to identify mechanical properties. Five standard samples were used to identify each mechanical property. Mechanical properties of samples with different compositions were compared. Identified mechanical properties were used as material properties at the ANSYS ACP PRE&POST analysis program. Composite spring thicknes were 12 mm and it is composed of 60 layers. Static analysis of composite springs modelled with five different layer orders was done by applying 1000 N, 2000 N, 3000 N and 3750 N force. Collapse, stress and shape changes of composite springs were examined at static analyses. Analysis show that unalloyed composite leaf spring is more resistant than its counterparts. When Layer Order 1 (TD1) [0°)] 60 with the same direction for fiber and horizontal axis of composite leaf spring is compared with others, it is seen that composite spring with TD1 is more rigid against bending. Damage analysis was done with ACP POST program according to Tsai-Wu and Hashin standards and it is seen that end points of springs were mostly damaged. Most damaged one is the TD5 leaf spring with [(0° 5 /90° 5 /45° 10 /-45° 10 )] s layer order under 3750 N according to Tsai-Wu standard. In addition to that, composite leaf springs were %49,84 lighter than mostly used one leaf steel counterparts.

The effect of factors on the flexural of the composite leaf spring

Abstract The modern automobile industry is heading into reducing the weight of vehicles in-order to reduce the fuel consumption of the modern vehicles, for that reason composite materials have gain special position when developing vehicles. This paper studied leaf spring, which is one of car part that can be manufactured from composite material, the material used at this research was E-glass fiber with polyester and epoxy matrices. experimental work showed the relation between load capability and the fiber distribution within the composite, having a better load bearing capability for material made from woven fiber. Additionally, the increase of fiber fraction in composite will improve its mechanical properties. Moreover, the type of matrix used in manufacturing the composite had a significant factor on material stiffness, where the mechanical properties of composite with epoxy matrix improved and increased the weightlifting ability more than a matrix made from polyester. Furthermore, the composite leaf spring has nearly the same stiffness of steel when its thickness 11 mm, while the thickness of steel spring is 5 mm. The reduction of weight in composite spring is 84% lower than steel spring.

Equistrong Branchy Composite Beams with a Constant Total Area of Variable Elliptic Cross Sections

It is shown that it is possible to create branchy and shaped composite leaf springs with a constant cross-sectional area and three-fold reduced weight, at a given level of accumulated elastic energy, by choosing an appropriate spring geometry. The advantages of branching in comparison with shaping are the absence of cut fibers, exclusion of fiber disorientation, and the possibility of decreasing the spring size by combining its leafs into a bundle. The use of a unidirectional GFRP makes it possible to multiply reduce the spring weight compared with that of a steel analog with the same strength and stored energy requirements. An efficient use of branchy composite springs is possible for transport systems and, in the future, for space-based constructions due to their low weight and the extremely low energy of their production, and these factors allow one, in principle, to create such springs directly in orbit conditions.

Polymer composite Belleville springs for an automotive application

This paper investigates mathematical modelling and manufacturing of polymer composite Belleville springs, and their potential application. The original expression for load carrying capacity developed for metal springs is refined by considering the variation of elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of laminates in polar coordinates. A novel series spring stacking arrangement is proposed to achieve complex stiffness variation by progressive action. The experimental results show consistent effect of number of plies on the spring rate and compare well with the theoretical predictions. Although handmade, the variations in load carrying capacity is very small (∼10%) confirming manufacturing viability. It is shown that a smooth, variable spring rate curve can be produced by reducing slip-stick frictional forces with the use of spacers within the spring stacks. In one application, the composite springs are shown to offer significant vehicle dynamic performance improvement through reduction of the tyre contact patch force variation and vehicle body acceleration.

Development of composite springs using 4D printing method

Composite springs have been used in many engineering applications, particularly in the transportation industry. This is due to their light weight, good stiffness, good strength, good corrosion and fatigue resistances. Normally special molds need to be prepared in the manufacturing of these springs. The molds have curvatures which fit into the shape of the final product.Recently the concept of 4D printing of composites was introduced. This concept is a combination of 3D printing together with the reconfiguration of the part upon the activation of some mechanism such as heat, light, or the absorption of moisture. This concept allows the ability to make structures of complex shapes without the need to have complex molds. Layers of composites can be laid on a flat mold. Upon curing, the layers reconfigure into curved structures. As such, curved composite structures can be made using only flat molds. The mechanism for this reconfiguration depends on the anisotropic nature of layered composite materials.This paper presents the fundamental study, as part of a larger project intended to use the concept of 4D printing to develop complex composite structures without the need for complex curved molds. The fundamental study examines the mechanical characteristics of curved composite beams made by 4D printing.

Prediction of Residual Fatigue Life of Composite Mono Leaf Spring Based on Stiffness Degradation

Estimation of remaining useful life gained considerable attention in composites technology in recent years. It is due to efficient technique to check the reliability or sustainability of components. This paper adopts the mixed-mode approaches such as experimental, analytical and finite element methods to predict the residual fatigue life of cracked composite mono leaf spring. The finite element analysis is carried out on both healthy and cracked composite springs to analyze static and fatigue life. Experimental fatigue test has been conducted on an artificially cracked leaf spring for 500 set numbers of fatigue cycles up to 2000 to record strains. These strains are used in Hwang and Han analytical model to determine the residual fatigue life of cracked spring. As a result, the residual fatigue life of cracked spring is found to be 2.48 × 106 cycles determined by the model. At the end, the stiffness degradation curve is drawn by Hwang and Han model and compared with benchmark stiffness degradation curve. The analytical model results are found to be in closer approximation with the benchmark.

Design and optimization of automotive composite helical spring

Design and optimization of automotive composite helical spring

Static and Fatigue Analysis of Carbon Epoxy Reinforced Composite Leaf Spring

Different fields of mechanical, automobile, aerospace, electronics and communication engineering uses composite material. The automobile industries have shown great interest to change traditional use of steel leaf spring with light weight composite leaf spring with same strength. This research paper presents the general study, fabrication, static and fatigue analysis on carbon epoxy composite leaf spring. A rear leaf spring of Tata Ace (mini truck) made of material EN45 spring steel was selected as practical application. Hand Lay-up technique was used to make a carbon epoxy leaf spring. A single carbon epoxy composite leaf spring is compared with EN45 steel leaf spring. Static test was performed on both steel spring and composite spring from initial load of 1000 N to full load of 5400 N. Results shows that deflection of carbon epoxy composite leaf spring is 14% less as compared to the steel leaf spring which means increase in stiffness. Also fatigue life of composite leaf spring is more than desire 100000 cycles.