Analysis of the Material Properties of Vehicle Suspension Coil Spring

Abstract

The suspension coil spring is one of the most important components in a vehicle suspension system. Its primary function is to absorb the vibrational shocks that are occasioned by irregular road surface to provide the vehicle with stability and ride comfort. The main objective of this study is to design a suspension coil spring made of structural steel for light duty vehicles with the aim of weight and cost reduction. This study was motivated by the government of Ghana’s actions to industrialise the automotive sector of the country through government policies and programs. The study made use of high carbon steel and low carbon steel as the control materials and structural steel as the implementing material. This was done to determine the suitability of structural steel for vehicle suspension coil spring. The study analysed parameters such as total deformation, equivalent Von Mises stress, maximum shear stress, and safety factor in the static structural analysis. The fatigue analysis also analysed parameters such as fatigue life and fatigue alternating stress. The results of the study revealed that the suspension spring made of structural steel has superior properties against all the parameters set for this study apart from deformation. The two control materials that are known for suspension coil spring design and manufacture have better properties to withstand deformation than the implementing material.