Abstract

A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Due to their high strength to weight ratio, high stiffness, and high impact energy absorption, fiber-reinforced composite leaf springs gain considerable interest recently as a potential alternative to conventional leaf springs with relatively high weight. In the present study, a novel composite leaf spring consists of two composite face layers, and a soft and flexible viscoelastic core is proposed. Employing viscoelastic materials in structures reduces undesirable vibrations leading to fatigue and damage of structures. A numerical method is used to design and analyze composite leaf springs with a viscoelastic core using the Abaqus software package. Results are compared with those from well-known analytical methods, finite element methods, and experiments. Results show that the proposed novel composite leaf spring can withstand the stresses caused by static and impact forces, reduce post-impact vibrations, and prevent undesirable system vibrations. The viscoelastic layer increases the strain energy capacity of proposed composite leaf springs compared to conventional composite leaf springs and enhances the composite leaf spring performance against bump impact.

摘要

板簧是一种简单形式的弹簧，通常用于轮式车辆的悬架。由于其高强度重量比、高刚度和高冲击能量吸收，纤维增强复合材料板簧最近作为具有相对较高重量的传统板簧的潜在替代品而受到广泛关注。在本研究中，提出了一种由两个复合面层组成的新型复合板簧，并提出了一个柔软且灵活的粘弹性芯。在结构中使用粘弹性材料可减少导致结构疲劳和损坏的不良振动。使用数值方法使用 Abaqus 软件包设计和分析具有粘弹性芯的复合板簧。结果与众所周知的分析方法、有限元方法和实验的结果进行了比较。结果表明，所提出的新型复合板簧可以承受由静态力和冲击力引起的应力，减少冲击后的振动，并防止不良的系统振动。与传统的复合板簧相比，粘弹性层增加了所提出的复合板簧的应变能容量，并增强了复合板簧抵抗碰撞冲击的性能。