Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering

Abstract — Weight reduction is the prime focus of automobile manufacturer. In automobile leaf spring is potential item for weight reduction which accounts for 10-25 % of unsprung weight. Material with maximum strength and minimum modulus of elasticity is most suitable for leaf spring, and composite spring reduces weight of automobile without reducing the load carrying capacity. In present project work comparative analysis of c-glass/epoxy composite leaf spring and steel leaf spring is done by analytical, FEA using ANSYS 12. The result of FEA is also experimentally verified. Study demonstrates that the composite can be used for leaf spring for the light vehicle and meet the requirement, together with the sustainable weight reduction. The stresses induced in the C-glass/Epoxy composite leaf spring are 69 % less than that of the steel spring nearly. This study leaves wide scope for future investigations. It can be extended to newer composites using other reinforcing phases and the resulting experimental findings can be similarly analyzed