Experimental investigations on hybrid fiber composite mono leaf spring for light commercial vehicles

Abstract

Composites materials used in vehicle suspension applications, fail at some point and the life period can be prolonged by using different materials, improved design and fabrication technique. The influence of fatigue behavior plays an important role in vehicle suspension system. Hence it is necessary to concentrate on different materials to enhance fatigue behavior of light motor vehicle suspension systems. Customarily, springs are made of metal materials. The materials of the metal have high density, poor resistance to corrosion and lower strength at high temperatures. Then again composite materials have high quality and lightweight. Composite materials are additionally ready to withstand the impact of the acids and climate, making them suitable for the utilization of springs. With the advancement of new technologies of composite manufacturing, it is currently conceivable to supplant the traditional metal wire springs by a lightweight composite materials. This difference in material realizes the likelihood of significantly diminishing spring mass while the other mechanical properties which are desired, for example, firmness and most extreme avoidance, could remain sensibly unaltered contrasted and metallic springs. As of late, fiber - reinforced composite materials are by and large used to supplant metals in the automobile industry because of their capacity to have tailored properties, corrosion resistance characteristics and high strength to weight ratio. Because of their high damping factors, the possibility of decreasing commotion, vibrations and journey harshness. Using the glass reinforced polymer as structural components will result in a 20 - 30% of reduction in weight of the vehicle while the use of carbon fiber reinforced materials will reduce the mass by 40 - 60%. Because of their high damping factors, there is a possibility of decreasing commotion, vibrations and journey harshness. In this work mono composite leaf spring made of carbon and glass fiber in polymer matrix is designed and further analyzed to reveal fatigue behavior, bending stress and deformation. The analysis is first done for the leaf spring used in light motor vehicle suspension made of 55Si2Mn90 steel. Based on the analysis made, leaf spring with new materials in carbon fibers incorporated with E-glass fiber is designed. The designed model is then analyzed for maximum deflection and maximum bending stress. The results obtained are compared with the design value. The results have revealed that the maximum values are only 50-60% of the design value and it shows that the design is safe. The spring weight is nearly 70% lower with complete eye unit when compared to steel leaf spring newline