Energy Absorption Capability of Composite Materials Applied to Automotive Crash Absorbers Design

A car front energy absorber made of composite materials is analyzed in this work. Mechanical requirements (static and crash behavior), geometry, load and boundary conditions are described in the first part of this study.

A finite element simulation has been performed in order to obtain the mechanical behavior of the absorber. The experimental analysis was also carried out: displacements, strains and stresses were obtained by means of mechanical testing of the absorber.

An outstanding correlation between the theoretical and experimental results will be shown.

Finally, a comparison between metallic and non-metallic car front energy absorbers will be presented in the chapter of conclusions.