OPTIMIZATION OF COMPOSITE LEAF SPRING DESIGN USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

The advancement in fiber composite technology puts back many dense materials by high strength to density ratio. Many attempts have been made with glass/carbon fiber for suspension system; still, not much has been done in the direction of optimization of the design of the leaf spring. This paper reports the work in which a new glass/carbon fiber composite material was made and tested under Tsai-Wu failure stress criteria. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to identify the optimal composite leaf spring's design with less stress-strain and deflection. The mechanical properties of the optimal geometry glass/carbon fiber composite leaf spring were experimentally evaluated and compared with the conventional leaf spring.