Abstract
To successfully reduce a vehicle's weight by replacing steel with composite materials, it is essential to optimize the material parameters and design variables of the structure. In this study, we investigated numerical and experimental methods for determining the ply angles and wire diameters of carbon fiber/epoxy composite coil springs to attain a spring rate equal to that of an equivalent steel component. First, the shear modulus ratio for two materials was calculated as a function of the ply angles and compared with the experimental results. Then, by using the equation of the spring rate with respect to the shear modulus and design variables, normalized spring rates were obtained for specific ply angles and wire diameters. Finally, a finite element model for an optimal composite coil spring was constructed and analyzed to obtain the static spring rate, which was then compared with the experimental results.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 42-49 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Composites Part B: Engineering |
| Volume | 82 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 Dec 1 |
Keywords
- A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
- B. Elasticity
- C. Finite element analysis (FEA)
- D. Mechanical testing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ceramics and Composites
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering