Author : G Gopal and L Suresh Kumar

The paper deals with the basic design of a laminated leaf spring and analyzing the composite material values for different orientations of the fiber. For this purpose the laminated leaf springs are made of steel and composite material of unidirectional E-glass/ Epoxy, with the same dimensions. A static test rig is fabricated to conduct deformation test under various loading conditions for both the above materials. The deformations are compared for both the above materials. A three dimensional model of entire leaf spring is modeled using Solid Works. The static analysis is done using ANSYS. It is observed that the deflections in the Composite leaf spring are greater than the steel leaf spring for the same load. The stresses in the Composite leaf spring are less than the steel. And, the spring weight of the Composite leaf spring is observed to be 70% lower than the steel.

Keywords: Laminated Leaf spring, E-glass/Epoxy, Lay-up technique, Fiber orientation, Nipping.

Article published in International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol.4, No.6 (Dec-2014)