International Journal of Metallurgical &

Materials Science and Engineering (IJMMSE)

ISSN(P): 2278-2516; ISSN(E): 2278-2524
Vol. 6, Issue 4, Oct 2016, 17-24
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF EPOXY E-GLASS FIBER COMPOSITE FOR

DESIGN OF MONOLEAF SPRING
MONISHA R TUNGAL, RAVIKUMAR, NANDISH B ANGADI & RAJAT PAWAR
Department of Automobile Engineering, B.V, Bhoomaraddi College of
Engineering and Technology, Vidyanagar, Hubli, Karnataka, India
ABSTRACT
The Automobile industry is working on replacement of steel leaf spring with that of composite leaf spring, as the
composite material has good corrosion resistance and high strength to weight ratio. So this research was carried to
replace the material for leaf spring and to study the mechanical performance of e-glass fiber reinforced composites, to
manufacture a composite leaf and increase the strength to weight ratio compared to present leaf springs. The objective of
the paper is to decrease the general weight of suspension framework and enhance load carrying capacity of the leaf
spring by utilizing the composite material. Attempts have been made to determine desired quantity of fiber and its tensile
behavior. To make an assessment of their reinforcing potential in terms of mechanical properties, the effect of orientation
is also considered. The deformation at tensile load and flexural behaviors were recorded. The optimum values of

percentage of glass fiber is suitable for a composite mono leaf spring design in making lighter and more economical than
the conventional steel spring with similar design specifications and also improves the fuel efficiency of the automobile.
KEYWORDS: Automobile Industry, Composite, Epoxy E Glass Fiber Composite, Mono Leaf Spring

Original Article

percentage weight of E-glass chosen range for tensile and flexural behaviors were presented. The study inferred what

Received: Aug 03, 2016; Accepted: Aug 29, 2016; Published: Sep 01, 2016; Paper Id.: IJMMSEOCT20162

INTRODUCTION
Leaf springs are used in suspension system of an automobile to absorb the shock loads ie, heavy duty
vehicles,light motor vehicles etc. It carries lateral loads, brake torque, driving torque in addition to shock absorbing
[1]. It is observed that the failure of steel leaf springs is usually catastrophic [2].The most suitable material for leaf
spring is the material with minimum modulus of elasticity in longitudinal direction and maximum strength. To
increase the vehicle performance and reliability the industries have started using composite construction of leaf
spring. Weight reduction is one of the objectives of the industries.
Use of composite materials decreases the weight of leaf spring without effecting stiffness and strength in
car suspension. To meet the need of natural resources conservation, automobile manufacturers are attempting to
reduce the weight of vehicles in recent years[3].Reduction of weight can be accomplished essentially by using
better material, optimized design and better manufacturing processes. Reduction in weight of the leaf spring will
reduce 10% of unsprung weight in an automobile.
Application of composite will give a optimized suspension without increasing the cost and decreasing the
reliability because composite material has a high strength to weight ratio compared with those of steel.[4].In the
present scenario weight reduction is a major objective in automobile manufacturing industries. Replacing the steel

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Monisha R Tungal, Ravikumar, Nandish B Angadi & Rajat Pawar

leaf spring with composite leaf spring will provide 90% weight reduction because of its lower stresses,
This present research is an attempt to develop a composite leaf spring with E-poxy Resin and glass fiber as matrix
and reinforcing material respectively. The potential is investigated by characterization tests of leaf spring.
Objectives of the Present Work

To fabricate Epoxy composites comprising of E-glass fiber as the reinforcement.

To investigate the important mechanical properties of Epoxy E-glass fiber composite viz. tensile, flexural and
wear characteristics.

Weight savings of composite leaf spring with that of steel leaf spring.

Reduce the excessive noise due to leaf spring and also the cost of manufacturing.

EXPERIMENTAL
Material Selection and Preparation of Composite
Materials
L12 epoxy resin with K6 grade room temperature curing hardener at room temperature was employed for the
matrix material. This matrix was chosen, since it provides good resistance to alkalis and good adhesive properties owing to
the cross-linking chain between the resin and the hardener (Govardhan et.al, 2011; Manjath, 2013). All these polymer
products were supplied by Prakash composites(Hubli),fiber cloth by Rashi fiberworks (gokul,Hubli).
Preparation of Epoxy Composites

According to the dimension of mold calculate the volume of mold which is equal to the volume of the composite (
Vc ).

Use theoretical equation, V + V = 1, then obtain Vm, where Vm = volume fraction of matrix and Vf = volume
fraction of fiber/filler, which is in our case =5%, 10%wt. Obtain, Vm which is volume of matrix and get the
required mass of the matrix.

Estimated amount of Epoxy is heated to a temperature of 600C, such that semisolid form of epoxy is converted
into the liquid cast, at the same time place a magnetic bid into liquid epoxy and stir it for 5 to 10 minutes until all
bubbles present in epoxy will go away.

Add the hardener K6(10% of Vm) to the mixer of Epoxy, and stir the mixture for three minutes and pour into the
mold.

Place the fiber cloth as estimated on the top of matrix.

Again use matrix layer to overlap the lower layer.

Keep the mold at controlled temperature for about 24 hours.

Composites are manufactured using manual method of molding. Specimens are machined using constant speed
electric cutter, as per ASTM D638-10.

Impact Factor (JCC): 3.7428

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Design and Fabrication of Epoxy E-Glass Fiber Composite for Design of Monoleaf Spring

19

The detailed calculations required in the grooming of the samples are depicted in Table 1. The sample preparation
procedure along with the equipment is presented in Figure 3. The Size of the mold, =230160x4.8=176.6 cm 3.
Table 1: Calculations
Weight Percentages of
5% fiber
10% fiber

Vf
5%
10%

Vm

95%
90%

176.6 cm3
176.6 cm3

Weight of Epoxy
223.91gm
208.62gm

Weight of Fiber
31.22 gm
62 gm

Figure 1: ASTM Al Mould

Figure 2: Making of the Composite

Composite Characterization
Tensile Test
The tensile test is conducted on the prepared composite specimens to determine its elastic properties. Straightsided specimen with end tabs and dog-bone specimen are most commonly used specimen geometries. This test was
conducted as per ASTM D638-10[5]. Test standards were checked using computer controlled Universal Testing Machine
(UTM) with 10kN load cell. it is subjected to uniaxial monotonic tension at of 2 mm/min rate of displacement on 4.8 mm
thick samples, With a gauge length of 50 mm. Tests are closely monitored and conducted at room temperature. Stress strain
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Monisha R Tungal, Ravikumar, Nandish B Angadi & Rajat Pawar

curves were generated using the load extension values.

Flexural Test
The determination of flexural strength is an important characteristic of any structural composites. It is the ability
of a material to withstand the bending before reaching the breaking point. Conventionally a three point loading has been
conducted to find the flexural properties of the composites using computer controlled Universal Testing Machine (UTM). A
span of 80 mm and thickness of 4mm specimen is subjected to low strain rates of 2 mm/min at room temperature. The test
is performed as per the ASTM D790-10.

Figure 3: Universal Testing Machine

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Composite Characterization
Tensile Studies
Five specimens from each composition of composite were tested in totality there were 15 specimens.
The dimensions of the test specimens were 165 mm in length, 20 mm in width, and, 4.8mm in thickness respectively. The 4
sample specimens were tested at a cross-head speed of 2mm / min. Stress versus strain responses were plotted and are
given in the table 2.
Table 2: Tensile Studies of the Composites
Ultimate Load
Ultimate Strength
Breaking Strength

Impact Factor (JCC): 3.7428

5% wt. Glass Fiber

31.2 KN
390 N/mm2
377.5 N/mm2

10% wt. Glass Fiber

49.3 KN
704.3 N/mm2
537.1 N/mm2

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Design and Fabrication of Epoxy E-Glass Fiber Composite for Design of Monoleaf Spring

21

Figure 4: Tensile Testing Machine

Figure 5: Tensile Test Specimens

Figure 6: Tensile Strength Comparison Graph

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Monisha R Tungal, Ravikumar, Nandish B Angadi & Rajat Pawar

Flexural Behavior of Composite

Composite materials used in structures are prone to fail in bending and thus the testing of newly developed
composite against flexural behavior is essential. In the present work, the variation of flexural strength of the epoxy
composite has been studied. Five specimens from the various compositions of epoxy have been tested. The dimensions of
the test coupons were computed and taken as per ASTM D790-10 and are 127 mm in length, 13 mm in width, and, 4 mm in
thickness respectively. The loading arrangement and the UTM are shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Bending Test Setup

The test is conducted on three point bent specimen as per the procedure given in ASTM D790. Each test is
performed on five test specimens for three different compositions. The averages of five test results (maximum deformation,
maximum load, flexural strength) are taken as a flexural strength of that composition
Table 3: Flexural Studies of the Composites
Ultimate Load
Peak Displacement
Ultimate Strength

5 % wt. Glass Fiber

0.12 KN
13.60 mm
67.50 N/mm^2

10% wt. Glass Fiber

.16KN
19.30mm
95.51 N/mm^2

CONCLUSIONS
The process of fabrication was carried out by hand lay-up technique. Both the specimen was tested on UTM
machine 10% wt glass fiber showed greater capability to carry the load with less weight compared 5% wt glass fiber.
Hence, ultimate strength of 10% is 28% more than 5% wt glass fiber. From the results, it is observed that the 10% wt glass
fiber composite is more suitable for a composite leaf spring design in making lighter and more economical than the
conventional steel spring with similar design specifications and also improves the fuel efficiency of the automobile.
The benefits of using 10% wt glass fiber for composite mono leaf spring over steel leaf spring are drastic weight reduction,
higher strength, resistance from corrosion and low specific gravity. Composite material reduces weight without any
reduction on stiffness and load carrying capacity as has high and more elastic strain energy storage capacity as compared to
those of steel.

Impact Factor (JCC): 3.7428

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1

Design and Fabrication of Epoxy E-Glass Fiber Composite for Design of Monoleaf Spring

23

REFERENCES
1.

M. Venkateshan, D. Helmen Devraj, design and analysis of leaf spring in light vehicles, IJMER 2249-6645 Vol.2,
Issue.1,pp.213-218, Jan-Feb 2012.

2.

Shishy Amare Ebremeskel Design, Simulation and prototyping of single composite leaf spring for light vehicle Global
journal of researches in engineering./volume 12 Issue 7 Version 1.0 Year 2012.

3.

Rajendran I., Vijayarangan S., Design and Analysis of a Composite Leaf SpringJournal of Institute of Engineers, India,
vol.-8,2-2002

4.

Shishay Amare Gebremeskel, Design, Simulation, and Prototyping of Single Composite Leaf Spring for Light Weight
Vehicle, Global Journals Inc. (USA) 2249-4596, Volume 12 Issue 7, 21-30, 2012

5.

ASTM D638: Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials. DOI: 10.1520/D0638-10.

6.

Finite Element Analysis of Composite Leaf Spring for Automotive Vehicle N.Lenin Rakesh 1, G R Kaushik2, Dr. J. Hameed
Hussain3

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