The present research explores the potential of high-performance thermoplastics,
Polymethyl Methacrylate and Polyurethane, to enhance the passive safety of
automotive instrument panels. The purpose is to evaluate and compare the passive
safety of these two materials through the conduct of the Charpy Impact Test,
Tensile Strength Test, and Crush Test —. For this, five samples were prepared in
the case of each material via injection moulding, which enabled reliability, and
consistency of the findings. As a result, it was found that in the case of the
Charpy Impact Test, the average impact resistance varies with PMMA exhibiting a
level of 15.08 kJ/m2 as opposed to the value of 12.16
kJ/m2 for PU. The Tensile Strength Test produced the average
tensile strength of 50.16 for PMMA and 48.2 for PU, which implied superior
structural integrity under tension for the first type of thermoplastic. Finally,
the Crush Test showed that PMMA is more resistant to crushes on average than PU
with the measures of 18.5 and 16.2 KN. In this way, the results of the research
allow concluding that PMMA has the capacity to absorb energy and support the
development of forces better than PU, and is, therefore, more suitable for the
purposes of improving passive safety in terms of automotive applications. The
findings suggest that PMMA offers better protection for vehicle occupants by
reducing the severity of injuries during collisions, especially automotive
instrument panels.