FEA Driven Design improvement of Coil Spring pad

Our client is a Tier-I Automotive component manufacturer for OEMS across the globe.

APA has expertise in FEA driven design methodology, adding value to clients in validating the existing design under the service loads, identifying the critical areas and coming out with design countermeasures to make the design meet its design targets.  

Client is responsible for Design development of upper and lower spring pads for the Rear coil spring of a SUV. During the Compression and Rebound testing, they observed a large gap of 5 mm between the lower spring pad and the coil, which is undesirable giving way to dust accumulation.  

Replicating the failure of spring pad assembly during the physical testing of compression and rebound event and performing design iterations to improve the design. 

• Performing nonlinear static analysis including the detailed modelling of spring, Top and bottom rubber mount with hyper-elastic material and considering contact nonlinearities.
• Bottom spring mount is compressed from free length to design length as a first step, then compressed further from design length and also from extended from design length to extended condition.
• In the Extended condition we could replicate the observed that analysis predicts gap exist between lower spring pad and spring. Similar gap was also observed during the physical carried out by the customer.
• Modifications done to the design to reduce the gap. Stress and deformation  of the top and lower rubber mount are also to be kept within limits

• APA could offer its expertise in Simulating nonlinear behaviour of elastomer to solve the test failure issue.
• FEA driven design improvement saves considerable time in prototyping trials and accelerating the time to market.