Technical Paper
Effect of Foam Filling and Light Weight Metallic or Composite Reinforcements on the Energy Absorption in Fiber Reinforced Plastic Automotive Cross Sections
2000-10-03
2000-01-2732
The automobile industry is seeing an increased need for the application of plastics and their derivatives in various forms such as fiber reinforced plastics, in the design and manufacture of various automotive structural components, to reduce weight, cost and improve fuel efficiency. A lot of effort is being directed at the development of structural plastics, to meet specific automotive requirements such as stiffness, safety, strength, durability and environmental standards and recyclability. This paper presents the many different conceptual cross sections being evaluated during the development of fiber reinforced plastic automotive cross sections. The concepts consists of foam filling of the fiber reinforced plastic cross sections with light weight metal or composite reinforcements. The metal reinforcement is in the form of lightweight metallic tubes. The composite reinforcement is in the form of a carbon fiber bundle.
