OCTOBER 19-20, 2012 - YMCA University of Science & Technology

Proceedings of the National Conference on
Trends and Advances in Mechanical Engineering,
YMCA University of Science & Technology, Faridabad, Haryana, Oct 19-20, 2012
FIG. 3 DESIGN SOFTWARE MATH PAGE
3 SUSPENSION SPRING DESIGN
Manufacture of an automobile suspension springs involves a high level of designing and testing [9, 10]. This is
needed because the spring is a critical component in the working of an automobile and its failure can be disastrous.
The spring is a member which has to undergo constant load as well as fatigue loading. Hence it is essential
to be certain about the performance of the spring before manufacturing it on a large scale. With advances in testing
machines and software tools like 3D drawing packages (SOLID WORKS 2006) and FEM analysis packages
(ABACUS, NASTRAN), spring design has become more precise, reliable and accurate. The design process followed
at Stumpp, Schuele&Somappa Pvt. Ltd. is at par with international standards [11]. The steps involved are
as follows:
1. Initially the customer drawings for the suspension setup are studied. Data such as inner diameter, length,
outer diameter, no. of fatigue cycles, bump load and height, unladen load and height etc. are collected from
the customer.
2. This collected data is input into the SSS design tool kit. SSS tool kit is software built specifically for springs.
The data is entered in the MATH page (Fig. 3) and unknown parameters are filled in using standard or approximate
values. This generates a Load vs. Deflection graph which is based on the customer requirement.
Wire diameter is calculated.
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