Research Article
Open access
Published on 11 March 2025
Download pdf
Li,X.;Zhu,X.;Xu,G.;Cheng,X. (2025). Failure analysis and optimization of coil spring fracture in MacPherson suspension system. Advances in Engineering Innovation,16(1),69-75.
Export citation

Failure analysis and optimization of coil spring fracture in MacPherson suspension system

Xiang Li *,1, Xiaowen Zhu 2, Gang Xu 3, Xiaoqiang Cheng 4
  • 1 College of Automotive Studies, Tongji University; Jiangling Motors Corporation, Ltd.
  • 2 College of Automotive Studies, Tongji University; Jiangling Motors Corporation, Ltd.
  • 3 College of Automotive Studies, Tongji University
  • 4 Jiangling Motors Corporation, Ltd.

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2977-3903/2025.21534

Abstract

During a vehicle accelerated corrosion test, a front coil spring in the MacPherson suspension system of an SUV exhibited fracture failure. The results indicated that the material composition, microstructure, and decarburization layer of the coil spring met the technical requirements; however, the tempering hardness was found to be excessively high. Fracture surface analysis revealed a small amount of intergranular cracking in the crack initiation zone, and the crack propagation zone exhibited ductile tearing characteristics, ultimately leading to fatigue fracture. Through force analysis, it was determined that the coil spring was subjected to lateral loads. Additionally, ABAQUS software simulations revealed that during wheel hop conditions, the coil spring end coil came into contact with the spring seat, leading to coating failure and the formation of surface fatigue defects. Based on these findings, an improvement plan was proposed, followed by failure reproduction and optimization validation in a test rig.

Keywords

coil spring, failure analysis, fatigue fracture, test verification

[1]. Zhang, Q., Chen, K., Fu, Y., Wang, C., Chen, D., Mei, H., Liu, Z., Dai, Y., & Cong, D. (2021). Study on fracture failure behavior of vehicle suspension coil springs. Equipment Environmental Engineering, 18(8), 100-106.

[2]. Wang, J., Xue, S., Sun, X., & Feng, G. (2020). Optimization study on lateral force of MacPherson suspension dampers based on ADAMS. Automotive Practical Technology(11), 70-71, 76.

[3]. Liang, Y. (2010). Application of stress shot peening in post-treatment of coil springs. Shanghai Automobile(2), 40-41.

[4]. Gao, Y., Yue, K., & Yue, Q. (2023). Study on lateral stiffness of cylindrical coil springs based on computed height correction method. National Defense Traffic Engineering and Technology, 21(6), 15-18, 4.

[5]. Dong, Z., Yang, J., Fan, F., & Wang, L. (2024). Study on stress corrosion performance of high-strength alloy steel. Materials Development and Application, 39(3), 56-60.

[6]. Chao, Y., Zhi, C., & Cai, J. (2018). Analysis and improvement of fracture issues in automotive coil spring end coils. Automotive Practical Technology(11), 55-57.

Cite this article

Li,X.;Zhu,X.;Xu,G.;Cheng,X. (2025). Failure analysis and optimization of coil spring fracture in MacPherson suspension system. Advances in Engineering Innovation,16(1),69-75.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Journal:Advances in Engineering Innovation

Volume number: Vol.16
ISSN:2977-3903(Print) / 2977-3911(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).