Design and Analysis of Static Stresses for Leaf Springs using Photo-elasticity and Numerical Methods

Abstract

The stress analysis of mechanical components plays an important role in engineering design. In this paper a study is made for single leaf spring suspension system of a passenger carrying vehicle. It consists of the design of multi-leaves to withstand the large loads than that of the existing load capacity. The methods used are two-dimensional photo-elasticity and analysis software. Theoretical analysis is carried out initially. The Photoelastic model of designed leaves is prepared and analyzed for stress distribution at various points through Research Polariscope. The results are compared with the stresses obtained by the analysis software. It is found that there are closely related results for the methods. The advantages of the methods are easy to understand through visualization of stress pattern and determine the stresses at any point on the model. These methods may be applied to other automobile components. Key Words: Static stresses, Photo-Elasticity, analysis software, Research polariscope, stress analysis etc.