Modelling and Analysis of Leaf Spring by using Composite Material

Increasing competition and innovation in automobile sector tends to modify the existing products by new and advanced material products. A suspension system of vehicle is also an area where these innovations are carried out regularly. Leaf springs are one of the oldest suspension components that are being still used widely in automobiles. Weight reduction is also given due importance by automobile manufacturers. The automobile industry has shown increased interest in the use of composite leaf spring in the place of conventional steel leaf spring due to its high strength to weight ratio. The introduction of composite materials has made it possible to reduce the weight of the leaf spring without any reduction in load carrying capacity and stiffness. The objective is to estimate the mode frequency, deflection and stress in the leaf spring of most commonly used light commercial vehicle Tata magic. First the modal analysis is performed to determine the mode shapes and natural frequencies, stress and deflection analysis is carried out to the determine the von-misses stresses and deflection when steel leaves are replaced by fibrous composite leaves. Leaf spring will modelled in ANSYS. The conventional steel leaf spring and the composite leaf spring will be analyzed under similar conditions using ANSYS software and the results are presented.