Effect of Design Configuration on Fatigue Durability of Diaphragm Springs

This research focuses on identifying optimal design modifications to enhance the fatigue characteristics of a diaphragm spring in a clutch system. A diaphragm spring from an Iranian Saipa automotive clutch, widely used as taxis in Iran and Iraq, was selected for practical testing and numerical analysis due to its frequent malfunctions and maintenance requirements during service. The load-deflection relationship of the selected spring was experimentally tested under compressive loading. Design modifications were explored by varying the spring thickness and finger configuration. Fatigue strength analysis was conducted using SolidWorks and ANSYS software to model and simulate the spring's performance under critical experimental loads. The results revealed that increasing the spring thickness improves fatigue life but adversely impacts deflection and other design requirements. Conversely, increasing the number or length of the fingers reduces fatigue life. The most effective modification for enhancing fatigue life while maintaining design requirements was increasing the finger root radius.