| Pub. Date | :Nov, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Product Name | : The IUP Journal of Mechanical Engineering |
| Product Type | : Article |
| Product Code | : IJME31809 |
| Author Name | : K S Naresh |
| Availability | : YES |
| Subject/Domain | : Management |
| Download Format | : PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : 16 |
A leaf spring is a most common form of spring used for suspension in heavy vehicles. Leaf spring is made up of a number of strips curved slightly upwards and clamped together one above the other. These plates are attached to the body frame and axle of vehicle. The suspension system in a vehicle is important to improve the riding comfort and stability of the vehicle. Leaf springs are commonly used in vehicle suspension system and are subjected to millions of various stress cycles, leading to fatigue failure; and it is necessary to determine the allowable stress and maximum deflection to avoid failure. This paper presents design considerations of composite leaf spring by applying static load and deriving the stresses and deformation in the leaf spring. Analytical calculation has also been done by CAD modeling using ANSYS 14.5 workbench. The results obtained by analytical and numerical calculation are in close agreement.
Composite leaf springs are lightweight crucial suspension elements used in light and heavy vehicle, necessary to give comfort during a ride and to minimize the impact due to vibrations caused by irregularities on uneven roads. Leaf springs consist of a series of flat plates with semi-elliptical shapes. U-bolts and center clips are used to hold leaves together. During operation, the leaves may disalign and lateral shifting may occur, and to prevent that, rebound clips are used. The longest leaf, called master leaf, is bent at both ends to form a spring eye. At the center, the spring is fixed at the axel of the vehicle. Springs consist of supporting length leaves, in addition to the master leaf (Pankanj et al., 2013). This extra full-length leaves are stacked between the master leaf and the graduated length leaves. The extra full-length leaves are provided to support the transverse shear force. The leaf spring should absorb the vertical vibrations and impacts due to road irregularities by means of variations in the spring deflection such that the potential energy stored in spring as strain energy is released slowly. Increasing the energy storage capabilities of a leaf spring ensures a more compliant suspension system. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the allowable stress and maximum deflection to avoid failure. In this paper, a study has been undertaken to analyze the static behavior of composite leaf springs, and the results are compared with analytical results using CAD Modeling.
Composite leaf spring, Fatigue failure, Allowable stress, Solidworks, CAD, ANSYS 14.5