Energy Absorption Capability and Crashworthiness of Composite Material Structures: A Review

The controlled brittle failure of thermosetting fibre-reinforced polymer composites can provide a very efficient energy absorption mechanism. Consequently, the use of these materials in crashworthy vehicle designs has been the subject of considerable interest. In this respect, their more widespread application has been limited by the complexity of their collapse behavior. This article reviews the current level of understanding in this field, including the correlations between failure mode and energy absorption, the principal material, geometric, and physical parameters relevant to crashworthy design and methods for predicting the energy absorption capability of polymer composites. Areas which require further investigation are identified. This review article contains 70 references.