47. Optimization of Glass, Carbon and Graphite Fiber Mono Composite Leaf Spring Using Genetic Algorithm

Leaf springs are an essential part of automobiles because it provides directional stability, ride comfort and improves vibrational characteristics. Fatigue stresses induced in leaf springs directly influenced fatigue life. Fatigue life will increase under low fatigue stress. This is achieved by reducing unsprung weight. In automobiles, leaf springs are contributed 10 to 20% of unsprung weight. Thus, researchers tried to minimize the weight of leaf spring under the same loading conditions. Optimal design and selection of suitable materials are the ways to fulfill this objective. In this paper, double tapered composite leaf spring is selected for optimization using a genetic algorithm. Optimization has been performed for glass fiber, carbon fiber and graphite fiber composite leaf springs. The optimization result reveals that the weight of mono leaf spring made by carbon fiber composite is 91.92% lighter than multi-leaf spring. Thus carbon fiber composite is the most suitable candidate in comparison to glass and graphite fiber composite fiber mono leaf.