This paper describes computer aided finite element analysis of parabolic leaf spring. The present work is an improvement in design of EN45A parabolic leaf spring used by a light commercial automotive vehicle. Development of a leaf spring is a long process which requires lots of test to validate the design and manufacturing variables. A three-layer parabolic leaf spring of EN45A has been taken for this work. The thickness of leaves varies from center to the outer side following a parabolic pattern. These leaf springs are designed to become lighter, but also provide a much improved ride to the vehicle through a reduction on interleaf friction. The CAD modeling of parabolic leaf spring has been done in CATIA V5 and for analysis the model is imported in ANSYS-11 workbench. The finite element analysis (FEA) of the leaf spring has been carried out by initially discretizing the model into finite number of elements and nodes and then applying the necessary boundary conditions. Maximum displacement, directional displacement, equivalent stress and weight of the assembly are the output targets of this analysis for comparison & validation of the work.

There are literally several studies accomplished to predict the fatigue life of leaf springs but estimation of fatigue life of a parabolic leaf spring by using CAE tools has not yet been executed in the past. Parabolic spring is an important component in a vehicle suspension system. It needs to have excellent fatigue life and in today’s scenario manufacturers rely on constant loading fatigue analysis. The objective of this work is to perform the fatigue analysis of parabolic leaf spring by three different methods where CAE analysis is performed to observe the distribution of stress fatigue life and damage using Goodman approach. In this work, fatigue life of the parabolic leaf spring is determined as per SAE spring design manual and experimentally by testing on full scale fatigue testing machine. ANSYS is used for CAE solution for the prediction of leaf springs fatigue life considering stress theory. The fatigue life estimated by all three modes is then compared for the purpose of validation. The methodology used in this paper brings a practical approach to the professionals in the industries who are engaged for design of mechanical components.

Parabolic leaf spring is one of the vital components in vehicle suspension system, and it is commonly used in heavy vehicles. It needs to have an excellent static load bearing capacity and fatigue life too. The purpose of this work is to make computer aided engineering (CAE) analysis of mono parabolic leaf spring and to see the effect of change of material in the optimized leaf. A mono steel leaf spring and a mono leaf spring made of composite material have been selected for this comparative analysis. The material of the mono steel leaf spring is EN45A and Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) as composite material which is having high strength to weight ratio. The mono leaf spring model is having one full length leave with eyes at both ends, two pins in each eye end and a rubber pad on the upper face of leave center. The CAD modelling of parabolic leaf spring has been done in CATIA and for analysis the model is imported in ANSYS workbench. It was shown that the use of composite material instead of steel resulted into large deflection, small variation in stresses and also a large amount of weight reduction.