Finite Element Analysis of Air Springs with Fiber-Reinforced Rubber Composites using 3-D Shell Elements

3차원 쉘 요소를 이용한 섬유보강 고무모재 공기 스프링의 유한요소 해석

This paper is concerned with the orthotropic problem of diaphragm-type air springs which consist of rubber linings, nylon reinforced rubber composite and bead ring. The analysis is carried out with a finite element method developed to consider the orthotropic properties, geometric nonlinearity using four-node degenerated shell element with reduced integration. Physical stabilization scheme is used to control the zero-energy modes of the element. An inflation analysis and a lateral deformation analysis of an air spring are carried out. Numerical analysis results demonstrate the variation of the outer diameter, the fold height, the vertical force and the lateral force.