| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/J64238/01 |
| Title: |
COMPOSITE LEAF SPRINGS AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS FOR COMMERICAL VEHICLES |
| Principal Investigator: |
Jeronimidis, Professor G |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Electronic Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Reading |
| Scheme: |
LINK |
| Starts: |
01 May 1994 |
Ends: |
31 October 1997 |
Value (£): |
229,840
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Manufacturing |
Transport Systems and Vehicles |
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| Related Grants: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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The proposed programme will investigate the potential of glass-reinforced plastics for flexural springs applications in commercial vehicles. The work will involve relevant testing of materials systems to determine design allowables, performance and influence of fabrication process on properties, strength and fatigue resistance in particular. This information will be used to design and develop tailored GRP springs components meeting end-users requirements. Stress analysis, modelling and simulation will be used to establish operational windows. An important and novel aspect of the project will be the integration of end-attachments at the design stage. This will demonstrate the benefits of efficient design procedures for composites, reducing costs by reducing number of parts and eliminating assembly operations. Prototypes will be made according to the design solutions, investigating those areas of fabrication needed to ensure consistent performance levels (moulding of thick sections, for example). Extensive uniaxial and multiaxial fatigue testing will be used to modify and validate the designs, establish failure modes and define failure criteria. On-vehicle testing of prototypes as well as track and road testing will be used to assess ride/handling characteristics and endurance to endure acceptance of the technology by end-users.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.rdg.ac.uk |