An optimum design of a leaf spring from composite material

Abstract

Leaf springs are commonly used in the suspension system of automobiles and are subjected to varying stress from dynamic loading leading to failure. An analytical method using formulation and solution technique classical laminated plate theory (CLPT) for design optimization of composite leaf springs under different dynamic loading is presented here. Different ratios of height/ width (h/b), and duration of time effect are conclusions. A numerical method using FEM (Ansys11.0) has been for solving the dynamic stress distribution in composite leaf springs. Both theoretical and numerical results give good agreement and the studies reveal that the model proposition flexibility has a significant influence on the system dynamic behavior and using likelihood with car industry automobile less than 500 kg. per wheel.