Mechanical analysis of leaf springs realized by additive technologies

Abstract

The paper deals with a new study for leaf springs. The authors considered two materials: ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PLA (Polylactic Acid), and two fill factors: 10% and 20%. The springs have been realized using FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) technology and have four different thicknesses (2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 mm). Three samples of each type were manufactured with a total of 48 springs. In about 45 min, the leaf spring with good aspect was realized. The main mechanical characteristics of the elastic elements made by additive technologies were determined experimentally, comparing them with those calculated theoretically, obtaining satisfactory results. The spring model behavior was analyzed using Inventor 2016 environment. Two parameters were considered: displacement and stress. Interesting conclusions about the stiffness of the springs have been deduced.