Energy Absorption in Polymer Composites for Automotive Crashworthiness

The energy absorption capability of a composite material is critical to developing improved human safety in an automotive crash. Energy absorption is dependent on many parameters like fiber type, matrix type, fiber architecture, specimen geometry, processing conditions, fiber volume fraction, and testing speed. Changes in these parameters can cause subsequent changes in the specific energy absorption (ES) of composite materials up to a factor of 2. This paper is a detailed review of the energy absorption characteristics in polymer composite materials. An attempt is made to draw together and categorize the work done in the field of composite energy absorption that has been published in the literature in order to better understand the effect of a particular parameter on the energy absorption capability of composite materials. A description of the various test methodologies and crushing modes in composite tubes is also presented. Finally, this paper raises certain design issues by examining the work rate decay necessary to keep the deceleration below 20g during an impact crash.