Michail Malikoutsakis

FE simulation of vehicle leaf spring behavior under driving manoeuvres

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a FE based modeling procedure for describing the mechanical behavior of high‐performance leaf springs made of high‐strength steels under damaging driving manoeuvres.Design/methodology/approach – The type and number of finite elements over the thickness of leaves, as well as the definition of contact, friction and clamping conditions, have been investigated to describe the mechanical behavior in an accurate and time‐effective manner. The proposed modeling procedure is applied on a multi‐leaf spring providing complex geometry and kinematics during operation. The calculation accuracy is verified based on experimental stress results.Findings – A FE based modeling procedure is developed to describe the kinematics and mechanical behavior of high‐performance leaf springs subjected till up to extreme driving loads. Comparison of numerically determined stress distributions with corresponding experimental results for a serial front axle multi‐leaf spring providing c...

Advanced leaf spring design and analysis with respect to vehicle kinematics and durability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide sound understanding of the mutual interactions of the major leaf spring design parameters and their effects on both the stress behavior of the designed leaf and the steering behavior of the vehicle. Design/methodology/approach – Finite elements analyses have been performed referring to the design of a high performance monoleaf spring used for the suspension of the front axle of a serial heavy truck. Design parameters like eye type, eye lever, spring rate and arm rate difference have been parametrically examined regarding the stress performance and their influence on the wheel joint kinematics. The effect of each design parameter is exhibited both qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings – Eye lever and eye type affect significantly the wheel joint kinematics and therewith the steering behavior of the vehicle. Spring rate and arm rate difference affect solely the stress performance of the leaf spring. Practical implications – Design engineers may use the ...

Finite element simulation of road tanks for ADR and fatigue assessments

Purpose – The paper aims to illustrate the application of a state-of-the-art fatigue prediction concept (IIW recommendations) to the ADR calculation requirements, in order to include failure-critical weld details to the strength assessment of road tanks. The level of calculation accuracy and, therefore, safety of such structures transporting dangerous goods can be substantially increased. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of a 2-compartment aluminum alloy LBGF tank used for the transportation of gasoline/petroleum products is conducted adopting the meshing directives of the structural hot spot stress concept (SHSSC) of the IIW recommendations for the weld details of the structure. The stresses on the prescribed Hot Spots are extracted from the solutions of each load case described in the ADR legislation and assessed both in terms of static strength according to EN 14286 and fatigue strength using the standardized IIW assessment curves (FAT curves). Findings – The detailed analysis of the road tan...