Materials Science Forum, Vol.465-466, 43-48, 2004
Design of impact energy characteristics of FRP deep-drawn structures
This study presents a recent attempt toward design of impact energy characteristics using FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) structures based on a simple idea of arbitrary combinations of unit structures for the purpose of obtaining desired impact energy absorbing behavior, especially desired load-displacement curves. Three fundamental shapes, i.e., hemi-sphere, truncated-cone and cylinder, are chosen as the unit structures, which are fabricated by deep drawning process to conduct impact compression tests with the impact velocity up to 15m/s. The three structures are shown to yield three distinct load-displacement curves corresponding to their buckling and fracture modes. Load-displacement curves for arbitrary combinations, e.g., parallel and serial, are predicted by summation of those of the unit structures and comparisons are made with actually obtained behaviors in experiments to verify the idea proposed in this study. The comparisons demonstrate good agreements between the two results, which lead us to be convinced of the effectiveness and robustness of the present scheme. Effects of impact velocity, woven structure on the energy-absorbing behavior, together with the absorption efficiency, are also examined in detail.
Keywords:FRP impact energy absorption