Composite springs for mechanical vehicles

Innovative Composite Springs – Lightness and Strength for Modern Engineering

Few things in mechanical engineering look the same today as they did a hundred years ago. The spring is an exception. But it doesn't have to be. Heavy, steel, and incapable of development? A team from the Lublin University of Technology set out to change that. Assoc. Prof. Eng. Patryk Jakubczak is developing a new generation of lightweight composite springs that, while maintaining the strength of steel, allow for the precise tuning of operating parameters and can significantly increase system efficiency in motorsport and electromobility. The scientist is a participant in the first edition of the PRIME program - a science commercialization support program implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science using funds from the European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG) program. As part of the PRIME project, Dr. Jakubczak and his team - Agnieszka Jarocka (Technology Transfer Officer) and Tomasz Głogowski (Business Leader) - will develop competencies in the implementation and commercialization of their research.

Current spring solutions used in motor vehicles rely almost exclusively on traditional steel structures, such as helical and leaf springs. These technologies carry significant drawbacks: high mass, limited capacity for tuning operating parameters, and low material utilization efficiency.

At the same time, despite intensive research into the use of composite materials (e.g., carbon fibers), their practical application in springs remains highly restricted. Previous approaches have mainly revolved around replicating classic designs (e.g., spiral or leaf) using composites, leading to complex, inefficient, and hard-to-implement solutions.

The team from the Lublin University of Technology has developed a new type of composite spring featuring a unique architecture that utilizes the properties of fibrous materials according to their nature - through in-plane operation and controlled buckling.

By using composite materials and properly designing their structure, it is possible to precisely control the operating characteristics of the spring. Dr. Jakubczak's technology allows for a significant reduction in the mechanism's mass while maintaining strength comparable to steel counterparts, while simultaneously enabling the tuning of performance parameters such as force, stiffness, and deformation range. This allows the solution to be applied across various fields - from motorsport to electromobility, where low weight and high efficiency are paramount. The technology is rounded out by its inherent resistance to corrosion.

The technology has already been validated at the prototype level (MVP) under laboratory conditions and is ready for further optimization and tailoring to specific market needs within the PRIME project.

The innovativeness of the project lies in transferring a technology previously used in industries requiring the highest standards of quality and safety - such as aerospace - into a broader industrial and practical context. This approach aligns with global sustainable development trends and the drive toward the efficient use of material resources.

"Every new application of composites opens up space for further innovation. In this technology, there is practically never a final solution - there is always room for development," says Assoc. Prof. Eng. Patryk Jakubczak.

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PRIME is the only "tailor-made" acceleration program for the transfer of knowledge and technology for scientists and their research organizations in Poland, offering support for an individual commercialization path for innovative products. The program provides the opportunity to both develop competencies (e.g., training) and acquire practical skills (e.g., talks with potential recipients). For the authors of the best ideas, individualized support is provided to implement the chosen commercialization path. The PRIME project is financed by the European Funds for a Modern Economy (#FENG) program. The project is implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science (#FNP).