Design and Analysis of Composite Structures for Automotive Applications

11Meander‐Shaped Springs

11.1 Meander‐Shaped Compression Springs for Automotive Suspensions

11.1.1 Bending Stress State of Corrugated Springs

The meander compression spring – meander spring or corrugated spring – is a promising design variant for the compression axle springs made of composite material (EP2082903B1 2009) (Figures 11.1 and 11.2). Several known patented variants of meander springs are displayed in Section 11.6. The meander spring exhibits a design that is more suitable for composite materials than the helical spring. The torsional stresses in meander springs are negligible and bending stresses dominate, which can be better compensated for by the reinforcement fibers. However, this geometry also has some natural disadvantages. For example, there are two bending directions and a relatively high block length of meander spring. In contrast to the meander spring, the composite helical spring has a lower block length, because the coils dive into each other. Thus, for isotropic materials such as steel, the design of the helical spring is more appropriate. Similar to leaf springs, the meander spring is manufactured with unidirectional prepreg and this is another reason why it is pertinent for composite materials. The main stress on the meander spring occurs in the direction of tension of the fibers. Fiber composite components are very strongly anisotropic, that is, direction‐dependent structures. This ensures the best utilization of fiber properties, since the highest ...