Material selection for vehicle leaf spring

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the material selection for a rear leaf spring suspension in vehicles, specifically evaluating ten materials based on criteria such as fatigue, fracture toughness, cost, and yield strength. The top materials identified include martensitic stainless steel AISI 440B, austenitic stainless steels AISI 302 and AISI 304, and various aluminum alloys like 7010 and 7055. The consensus indicates that titanium, while strong, is difficult to manufacture, suggesting that specially formulated steels may be more suitable for this application.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of material properties such as fatigue and fracture toughness
  • Familiarity with stainless steel grades and their applications
  • Knowledge of aluminum alloy specifications and heat treatments
  • Basic principles of manufacturing processes for metals
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the properties and applications of martensitic stainless steel AISI 440B
  • Investigate the manufacturing processes for specially formulated steels used in spring applications
  • Explore the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys 7010 and 7055 in automotive contexts
  • Study the challenges and solutions in machining titanium for automotive components
USEFUL FOR

Engineers, material scientists, and automotive designers involved in the selection and manufacturing of vehicle suspension components will benefit from this discussion.

mattyboson12
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Homework Statement


I've gone though a material selection process to pick the optimum material for a rear leaf spring suspension for a vehicle (~700mm long) and I've selected the top 10 materials based on fatigue, fracture, toughness, cost, yield etc:

-Stainless steel, martensitic, AISI 440B, tempered at 316°C
-Stainless steel, austenitic, BioDur 108, 30-40% cold worked
-Stainless steel, austenitic, AISI 302, HT grade D
-Stainless steel, austenitic, AISI 304, 1/2 hard
-Aluminum, 7010, T7651
-Aluminum, 7055, T7751
-Aluminum, 7055, T77511
-Titanium, commercial purity, Grade 4
-Nickel-Fe-Cr alloy, NIMONIC 942, bar
-Nickel-Fe-Cr alloy, D-979, bar

In terms of manufacturing the materials into the shape below, which would be best?
upload_2016-11-22_21-45-12.png


Homework Equations

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3. The Attempt at a Solution [/B]
From my understanding, titanium is notoriously hard to manufacture so I would not choose this
 

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I would not have chosen any of those materials for a vehicle suspension spring .

Have a look instead at some of specially formulated steels available for spring manufacture .
 
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