Design, Manufacturing, and Analysis of a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Crash Box


Engul M., DEMİR S., Ersoy N.

Journal of Composites Science, cilt.10, sa.2, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 10 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/jcs10020085
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Composites Science
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, INSPEC
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: crash box, finite element model, polymer composites, specific energy absorption
  • Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This paper presents a novel carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) crash box design, incorporating numerical analysis and manufacturing aspects. Within the design and analysis phases, a novel numerical methodology is employed to mitigate computational costs in estimating specific energy absorption (SEA). The proposed approach involves a reduction in ply interfaces and modification of pertinent material properties to optimize energy dissipation, achieving more than 50% reduction in simulation time. This methodology is applied to the design of a composite crash box made of unidirectional (UD) carbon/epoxy prepregs, resulting in a new geometry: sun-like shape featuring four sinusoidal arms connected to a central circular core. Subsequent manufacturing and testing reveal a SEA value of 79.46 J/g for designed geometry, surpassing metallic counterparts by a factor of 3 to 4. Furthermore, this study conducts a comparative analysis of energy absorption performance between unidirectional and woven fabric prepregs for the same geometry. Utilizing carbon/epoxy woven fabric (WF) prepregs further enhances the SEA to 89.26 J/g. Finally, the application of edge tapering to the crash box structure is shown to eliminate initial peak loads, thereby preventing excessive deceleration.