DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF COMPOSITE MONO LEAF SPRING

Originally called laminated or carriage spring,a leaf spring is a simple form of spring,commonly used for the suspension in wheeled ve hicles. For very heavy vehicles,a leaf spring can be made from several leaves stacked on top of each other in several layers used in the rear suspension system of a light duty vehicle is analyzed by finite element method using ANSY S software,often with progressively shorter le aves. A leaf spring can either be attached directly to the frame at both ends or attached directly at one end,usually the front,with the other end attached through a shackle,a short swinging arm. The shack le takes up the tendency of the leaf spring to elongate when compressed and thus makes for softer springiness. The automobile industry has shown increased interest in the use of composite leaf spring in the place of conventional steel leaf spring due to hi gh strength to weight ratio. To conserve the natural resources and economize energy,weight reduction has been the main focus of automobile manufacturer in the present scenario. Actually,there is almost a direct proportionality between the weight of the v ehicle and its fuel consumption,particularly in city driving. The advanced composite materials such as Graphite,Carbon,Kevlar and Glass with suitable resins are widely used because of their high specific strength (strength/density) and high specific mod ulus (modulus/density). Advanced composite materials seem ideally suited for suspension (leaf spring) applicat ions.

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