Composite Energy Absorbers for Automotive and Aviation Applications

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Zdjęcie z testu zderzeniowego

Energy absorbers are used to reduce the impact of a vehicle crash, primarily to protect the health and lives of passengers. The CRASH-BOX project, carried out by Łukasiewicz – PIMOT and Łukasiewicz – ILOT, developed innovative absorber designs that can be successfully implemented on the automotive, railway, and aviation markets. Their greatest advantages are much lower weight and the use of innovative thermoplastic composite technology.

In 2022, according to police statistics, there were 21,322 road accidents resulting in 1,896 deaths and 24,743 injuries. Many of these tragic events could have been avoided with suitably effective energy absorbers. They are used to provide greater safety and protection to road users. But the solution developed by our engineers will also find application on the railways or in flying objects, for example during an emergency landing.

Diploma thesis of inż. Adrian Lipkowski is all the more valuable because thermoplastic composites were used to make the energy absorbers, which makes them much lighter than the commonly used hydraulic or friction absorbers. This reduces the weight of the object involved in the collision, which further reduces its kinetic energy – wrote Krzysztof Pieńkowski from Polski Związek Przetwórców Tworzyw Sztucznych [Eng. Polish Plastics Processors Association] in the review of the thesis.

The research for the engineering work was carried out as part of the frontal impact energy absorber project for a passenger vehicle (CRASH-BOX), which was financed by Łukasiewicz Centre. The consortium leader was Łukasiewicz – Industrial Automotive Institute, which carried out the crash tests. Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, whose experts specialize in composite technologies, also participated in the research.

Experts from Łukasiewicz – ILOT have developed an innovative technology for the use of thermoplastic composites, which, in contrast to classic thermosetting composites, are characterised primarily by their rapid rate of production and the possibility of reusing the material (recycling).

The technology can be used in aviation for aircraft seats or aircraft floors and landing gear, as well as in automotive applications, primarily for front and rear crash boxes (located in front of the bumper and attached to the chassis) in cars.

In addition to weight reduction, the key features of this technology are also fast production rate, a wide range of available materials, tailored design, corrosion resistance, integration and production efficiency, as well as recyclability.

An Awarded Project

Adrian Lipkowski, an engineer from Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, won first place in the competition of Polski Związek Przetwórców Tworzyw Sztucznych [Eng. Polish Plastics Processors Association] for the best thesis. The subject of the thesis was the production of impact energy absorbers using a thermoplastic bonded carbon composite.

Adrian Lipkowski was up against two master’s theses from the Gdansk University of Technology and the Cracow University of Technology in the final of the competition. It was his topic of the thesis, as well as the thermoplastic composite technology as a whole, that received a lot of enthusiasm and interest in the competition.

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