aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, D.C.E.T, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India
bDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, M.V.S.R. Engineering College, Hyderabad, A.P., India
1Corresponding author
Online published on 31 January, 2014.
The best way to increase the fuel efficiency is to reduce the weight of the automobiles by employing composite materials in the structure of the automobiles. Metal coil springs can be replaced by composite springs because of high strain energy, less weight and high corrosion resistance. Carbon pre-peg epoxy based composite spring is the best alternate to metallic springs and E-glass epoxy based composite springs. A helical compression spring of rectangular cross section is designed for a payload of 1400N and deflection of 30mm. The deflections and axial stresses are the design constraints for the selection of fiber orientations in carbon pre-peg epoxy based composites. Finite element analysis predicts the structural behavior of metallic and composites of varied orientations. A composite helical spring is developed using Tape winding technology and experimental validations are carried out on Carbon pre-peg epoxy based spring. The results indicate that carbon pre-peg springs are superior in structural parameters compared to metallic springs.
Composite Springs, Helical Springs, Suspension System
