| Today's automobile industry is striving to build lighter, faster, more fuel-efficient vehicles. In this effort, engineers are turning to composite materials to bear the structural and safety responsibilities. The majority of these parts are currently constructed of steel. While steel is a strong and inexpensive material, it can add substantial weight to a vehicle. Composite materials, e.g. fiberglass/epoxy, can be designed to have much higher strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios than conventional materials, such as steel. This research will use the requirements outlined in FMVSS 214 to compare the impact resistance of a vehicle side door comprised of steel versus fiberglass/epoxy as the structural/impact absorbing materials. The side-impact beam, the main energy absorbing component of the door, will be investigated. The side-impact beam, hat section, was constructed of fiberglass/epoxy in various layups, [0/90], [15/75], [30/-60], [45/-45]. Two beam thicknesses were also investigated, 0.100-in. and 0.200-in. The fiberglass beam's hat section geometry did not allow the material to absorb any more energy than the steel beam, when normalized by weight. Alternate geometries were investigated using Finite Element Analysis. A rectangular composite beam absorbed more energy than the original hat section. |
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