Experimental assessment of energy absorption capability of carbon-epoxy and glass-epoxy composites

The paper describes an experimental investigation of the energy absorption capability of carbon-epoxy and glass-epoxy composites. The influence of the following factors on the energy absorption capability is analysed: fibre reinforcement type, type of structure, geometry and shape of specimens, orientation of fibres in a layer and stacking sequence of layers. Specimens in the shape of tubes and truncated cones were selected for testing. The basic mechanical properties of composites designed for elements of energy absorbing structures, essential for numerical simulation of the failure mechanism during the crash test, were determined experimentally. The favourable effect of the failure initiator at the specimen's edge, causing the increase in the specific absorbed energy (SAE), as well as the influence of the thickness of individual layers of the layered composite on the SAE value were also investigated. In the tests for truncated cone specimens, the influence of the specimen's thickness and the direction of the applied loading (beta = 0 degrees and 20 degrees) on the SAE value were analysed. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.