Finite Element Analysis and Performance Comparison of Leaf Spring Based on Unidirectional Sisal Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composite Against Woven Fiber-Reinforced Composite

The objective of this work is to examine sisal fiber-reinforced epoxy composite to replace metallic leaf spring in electric vehicles. The fiber is heat treated for the improvement of interfacial strength of the composite, before reinforcing them in epoxy matrix in unidirectional orientation, and woven geometry. Composite prepared from hand-layup method is further investigated to explore the mechanical properties required for the efficient performance of leaf spring. Experimentation reveals the magnitude of tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of the composite to be 65 MPa, 170 MPa, 13 MPa and 53 MPa, 148 MPa, 14 MPa, respectively, for both unidirectional and woven geometry. The thermal response of the fabricated composites is estimated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the fractured specimens are examined under electron microscope. Experimental results of composites are imported in simulation software for finite element analysis. The result of this investigation shows that maximum deformation and von Mises stress obtained are 59.77 mm, 224.87 MPa and 45.339 mm, 219.23 MPa for unidirectional and woven composite leaf spring, respectively. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to analyse the strained surfaces to get a better understanding of the microstructure and the process of failure.

Automated summary

The objective of this study is to replace metallic leaf springs in electric vehicles with sisal fiber-reinforced epoxy composites and improve their mechanical properties. The experiments show that the composite has tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of 65 MPa, 170 MPa, 13 MPa and 53 MPa, 148 MPa, 14 MPa, respectively. The thermal response and fractured surfaces of the composites have also been analyzed.