New Test Method for Determining Energy Absorption Mechanisms in Polymer Composite Plates

In passenger vehicles the ability to absorb energy due to impact and be survivable to the occupant is called the "crashworthiness" of the structure. To identify and quantify the energy absorbing mechanisms in candidate automotive composite materials, test methodologies were developed for conducting progressive crush tests on composite plate specimens. The test method development and experimental setup focused on isolating the damage modes associated with frond formation that occurs in dynamic testing of composite tubes. A new test fixture was designed to progressively crush composite plate specimens under quasi-static test conditions. Features incorporated into the design include an observable crush zone, long crush length, Interchangeable contact profile, frictionless roller for contact constraint, and out of plane roller supports to prevent buckling. Preliminary results are presented under a sufficient set of test conditions to validate the operations of the test fixture. The activation of different damage mechanisms was demonstrated by the validation tests on the representative composite material systems. The experimental data, in conjunction with test observations will be used in future work to identify the characteristic damage and failure modes, and determine the energy absorption capability of candidate automotive composite material systems.