Mechanics of Advanced Composite Structures

Mechanics of Advanced Composite Structures

Optimizing the Design and Conducting Comparative Testing for a Composite Elliptical Leaf-spring Damper

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Sandesh Awati 1
Amol Todkar 2
1 Research Scholar DOT, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
2 Tatyasaheb Kore Institute of Engineering and Technology (TKIET), Warananagar, Maharashtra, India
10.22075/macs.2026.37911.1864
Abstract
Its consequences are important both from an ergonomic point of view and from a health point of view for operators of handheld-agricultural machinery, especially in terms of the inefficiency of traditional rubber isolators against low frequencies. This work will be affirmative proof of the validity of the design and experimentally optimized elliptical composite leaf spring system for passive vibration isolation in such equipment. Two spring materials, EN48 and SS304, having finite element analysis (FEA) outputs and CAD model were analyzed for their structural behavior under dynamic engine loads. Composite liners of E-glass/epoxy were combined with varying thickness (5mm and 6mm) and fiber orientation (0° and 45°) to improve the damping property. To assess 16 configurations of design using vibration displacement and acceleration responses, a Taguchi L16 orthogonal array was used. The best configuration, including an SS304 spring (1.5 mm) and a 5 mm liner that was 45° oriented, achieved a 35% displacement and 57.7% acceleration reduction as compared to baseline configurations. Results confirmed the compliance with ISO 5349 exposure limits, reiterating the system’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios. This work proves the potential use of the elliptical composite springs as a robust, comfortable solution to reduce the HAV in the compact agricultural tools.
Keywords
Vibration isolation
Handheld agricultural tools
Composite leaf spring
Taguchi method
Ergonomic design
Subjects
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Mechanics of Advanced Composite Structures
Volume 14, Issue 2 - Serial Number 30
In Progress
November 2027
Pages 449-462