Publication

Abstract : One of the most frequently encountered problems in mechanical products is fatigue, accounting for more than 90 % of product failure. Suspension system is a safety critical one in the vehicle. One of the most important components in a vehicle system is the suspension. Leaf spring suspension system is one of the oldest and most widely used suspension systems in the world. Wide application of leaf spring in heavy vehicles is due to its inherent advantages like high load bearing capacity, low production cost and easy maintenance. But the leaf spring, under long term cyclic repeated loads have to be designed for fatigue. This project work covers the analysis of fatigue life of metallic leaf spring and its optimization with the help of statistical analysis. The concept of FACTORIAL TESTING is applied to find the key parameters governing the strength of the leaf spring assembly. The key parameters are optimized and analyzed using finite element approach. The natural frequencies and mode shapes are very important in a leaf spring design as it influences the vibration and performance of the spring. This work covers a MODAL ANALYSIS of the leaf spring.