The growing demand for passenger comfort and environmental protection, as well as reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, drives the search for new, high-performance materials. Composite leaf springs, applied as part of elastic suspension systems and with the advantages of being strong and lightweight, with a high load-carrying capacity, are a possible method with which to achieve those goals. In this study, an epoxy thermoset was blended with 10–50 wt.% polysulfide rubber and reinforced with 10 wt.% alumina powder. The characteristics of the copolymer composite blend were studied by performing ASTM mechanical tests, including tensile strength, impact strength, hardness, and damping ratio tests. The experimental outcomes showed that increasing the proportion of polysulfide rubber caused a reduction in the maximum tensile strength, modulus at fracture, natural as well as damped frequency, and hardness, whereas a significant improvement was observed in impact strength, logarithmic decrement, and the damping ratio. Reinforcement with alumina powder caused a meaningful increase in the maximum tensile strength and natural frequency, with a good improvement in deformation strength. Impact strength and the damping ratio were maximized when alumina powder was increasingly added. This increase was contrary to what occurred for the hardness, which decreased upon reinforcement. Statistical methods, altering the design of the experiments, and linear regression were used to optimize the composite mixture for manufacturing leaf springs. Finally, the model was validated using analysis of variance and probability plots (normal distribution). The regression equations of tensile and impact strength, hardness, and damping ratio test results proved composite suitability for the application of leaf springs under representative loading and operating conditions. Finite element analysis of the composite material was performed using SolidWorks Simulation 22 Mechanical software. ANSYS 2022 R1 was used to study the mechanical properties of the leaf spring model fabricated from the proposed composite material. The finite element analysis results showed a significant reduction in the weight of leaf springs, with very good mechanical properties, including the tensile and impact strength, hardness, and damping ratio, when using the proposed copolymer-reinforced composite material.

The design of lightweight leaf springs plays a crucial role in reducing fuel consumption and improving vehicle comfort by minimizing road shock transmission and vibration. Composite materials have shown great potential in significantly reducing leaf spring weight. epoxy, being a desirable thermoset polymer widely used in various applications such as electrical devices, ships and automobiles, exhibits limitations in terms of brittleness, fracture resistance and impact strength. To overcome these drawbacks while preserving its beneficial properties, epoxy can be blended with other polymers and reinforcements. In this study, polysulfide (PS) was selected as a suitable solution to enhance epoxy brittleness, offering an effective yet underutilized approach. Furthermore, the incorporation of silicon carbide (Sic), known for its superior characteristics, aimed to further enhance the mechanical properties of the epoxy-PS copolymer blend. The microstructural analysis was inspected using Fourier transform infrared. The blending and reinforcement process followed a Taguchi L8 static design to evaluate the impact of different composite blending percentages (represented as input factors) on leaf spring tensile strength, damping properties, impact resistance and hardness (represented as responses). The responses were analyzed using S/N ratios, ANOVA, main effect plots and interaction plots, while regression equations were employed to predict the responses under varying factors. The analysis demonstrated a robust model for manufacturing leaf springs. Experimental results indicated a 7.4% reduction in hardness with the addition of PS polymer. Conversely, reinforcing the epoxy-PS copolymer with 10–20% wt. of Sic resulted in a 3–5% increase in hardness. The natural frequency of the composite exhibited a gradual decrease upon the incorporation of PS and Sic. Evaluating the damping ratio revealed that the maximum value was achieved when the epoxy-PS copolymer was reinforced with 20% Sic. Additionally, while the copolymer blend displayed the greatest logarithmic decrement, epoxy exhibited the highest damping frequency.

The growing request regarding the comfort of passengers, saving the environment by using new materials to lower fuel consumption, as well as exhaust emissions of motor vehicles, is the main cause of searching for new and high-performance products in this area. Composite materials are the most promising technology. The composite leaf springs, applying as part of the elastic suspension system with high strength, load-carrying capacity, and lightweight, are one of the possible manners to achieve those goals inside of vehicles used for the carriage of goods. As an example, inside the manuscript, fabricated epoxy thermoset is blended with 10-50 wt.% of polysulfide rubber composites and reinforced with 10 wt.% of alumina powder. The characteristics of the copolymer composite blend were studied by performing ASTM mechanical tests, including tensile strength, impact strength, hardness, and damping ratio tests. Experimental test results showed that tensile strength, natural frequency, and damped ratio were decreased when the polysulfide rubber percent increase in contrast to tensile strength, which showed a noticeable decrement. From the second side, the reinforcement on the basis of alumina powder caused a weighty increase in tensile strength and natural frequency with a good improvement in deformation strength. Impact strength and damping ratio were maximized when alumina powder was added increasingly, while this increase was contrary to, causing a decrease in the hardness of reinforcement. The experimental results were optimized using the statistical methods. Design of the experiment and linear regression model used to select the most appropriate mixture inside the proposed composite material for leaf springs manufacturing. Finally, validation of the model was realized by application of the statistical method of analysis of variance and probability plots (normal distribution). The regression equations of tensile and impact strength, hardness, and damping ratio test results showed that the proposed composite material is suitable to be applied for manufacturing the leaf springs considering loadings and working conditions during exploitation of such vehicles in traffic. Finite element analysis on the basis of a finite element model of composite material was performed using SolidWorks Simulation 22. Mechanical software ANSYS 2022 R1 was used to study the mechanical properties of the leaf spring model fabricated of the proposed composite material. Finite element analysis results interpreted and showed significant reduction in leaf spring weight with very good mechanical properties considering tensile and impact strength, hardness, and damping ratio when using the proposed copolymer-reinforced composite material.

Pressure drop of turbulent flow across 90[ ] round bends with 10mm inside diameter investigated by employing the shear stress transport [ ] turbulent model for numerous curvature ratios and flow conditions. A total of 10 flow velocities varied from 1 to 10 m/s and 17 curvature radii between 5 and 300 mm were examined. Velocity profiles were evaluated at eight locations to examine the entrance effect. The simulation results were verified by comparing the evaluated Darcy friction factor with a well-known published correlation. The obtained results of bend pressure drop demonstrate the domination of the curvature ratio effect on the pressure drop over the influence of other factors. The computed pressure loss across the bend in terms of pressure loss coefficient [ ] and equivalent length to diameter ratio [ ] shows a good agreement with various published data in the literature with [ ] maximum average error. The coincidence between the results and the published data verifies the accuracy of the employed model to evaluate the pressure drop of turbulent flow throughout 90[ ] bends for the applied boundary conditions.

This research aims to investigate the utilization of composite materials in the vehicle industry by manufacturing the disk brakes. The vehicle industry persistently searches for augmenting efficiency through the integration of innovative technologies, enhancing performance and minimizing the cost to increase riding safety and comfort. In this work the strong adhesive epoxy is employed as a binder matrix to fabricate disk brakes. The reinforcing agents include high strength, high hardness, heat resistance, and high thermal conductivity ceramic powders, such as alumina and zinc oxide. The hybrid composite material characteristics were assessed via experimental tests, which included tensile, hardness, impact, wear, and friction tests. A finite element analysis via ANSYS 2023 R2 software and solid work 22 were used for further scrutiny of the experimental tests. The finite element model of the composite sample was used to determine the optimal mechanical properties. The investigation involves the analysis of von-Misses stress, total deformation, equivalent elastic strain, and strain energy. A comparative analysis was performed on the results obtained with a disk brake made of structural steel and gray cast iron as traditional materials.

Clean air, renewable energy, climate change, safe environments, and the opportunity to live in a healthy community are just a few of the many issues that fall under the umbrella of environmental sustainability. The creation of bioenergy and biomaterials has the potential to retain the energy-environment relationship while simultaneously fostering cleaner, lower-carbon settings. Scientists are investigating renewable energy sources like ethanol to enhance sustainability and the planet›s health. Fuel ethanol is a feasible alternative to gasoline since it has a lower carbon footprint and a higher energy density. This research summarizes ethanol›s potential as a bio-sustainable fuel option for portable generators in India. Bio-ethanol testing was done on a portable generator with an ethanol-gasoline blend, and the findings are presented in this study. Compared to using standard gasoline, the results show 9% to 25% increased thermal efficiency and 6% to 28% decreased fuel usage. The results showed a decrease of 6%–23% in carbon monoxide and 3%–11% in unburned hydrocarbon emissions.