Dynamic behaviors of composite leaf springs with viscoelastic cores

A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Due to their high strength to weight ratio, high stiffness, and high impact energy absorption, fiber-reinforced composite leaf springs gain considerable interest recently as a potential alternative to conventional leaf springs with relatively high weight. In the present study, a novel composite leaf spring consists of two composite face layers, and a soft and flexible viscoelastic core is proposed. Employing viscoelastic materials in structures reduces undesirable vibrations leading to fatigue and damage of structures. A numerical method is used to design and analyze composite leaf springs with a viscoelastic core using the Abaqus software package. Results are compared with those from well-known analytical methods, finite element methods, and experiments. Results show that the proposed novel composite leaf spring can withstand the stresses caused by static and impact forces, reduce post-impact vibrations, and prevent undesirable system vibrations. The viscoelastic layer increases the strain energy capacity of proposed composite leaf springs compared to conventional composite leaf springs and enhances the composite leaf spring performance against bump impact.