Design of composite-based leaf spring systems for automotive sector

Abstract

The applications of fiber reinforced polymeric composites in several engineering fields such as automotive, aviation, defense industry and marine are observed vastly nowadays. Especially in the automotive industry, the necessity of the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emission has entailed the utilization of the composite materials to provide weight reduction without sacrificing any material strength. Conventional steel leaf springs are components significantly affecting the weight of the vehicle as well as providing ride comfort and vehicle stability. Hence, fiber reinforced polymeric composites having many outstanding properties such as low density, high strength, corrosion resistance, high fatigue life, high wear resistance, are convenient materials for these types of applications. In this thesis, three different composite-based mono leaf springs were designed and analyzed. It was inferred from the analyses that 0° unidirectional glass fiber system hasn’t generated the intended spring rate accurately. Consequently, alternating configurations of the glass and carbon hybrid systems were studied. It was deduced from the studies that material configuration of [0°6G/0°2C/0°22G]S was generated the intended spring rate. Three different composite-based mono leaf springs including indicated material configurations were fabricated within the thesis study. Manufactured prototypes were also tested by using leaf spring test rig for determining the behavior of the prototypes experimentally. The obtained results were compared with FEA and it has been observed that the results are in compliance.