Design and Analysis of Composite Leaf Spring by Using FEA and ANSYS

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. Therefore the objective of this paper describes design and FEA analysis of composite leaf spring made of glass fiber reinforced polymer. The dimension of an existing conventional steel leaf spring of commercial vehicle are taken for evaluation of result