COMPATIBILITY OF GRAPHENE ADDITION WITH FIBER TYPE IN COMPOSITE CRASH BOXES.


Erkek B., Kösedağ E., Adin H.

AFRICA 6th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES , Cairo, Egypt, 26 - 29 September 2024, pp.318-327

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • City: Cairo
  • Country: Egypt
  • Page Numbers: pp.318-327
  • Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Crash boxes are components located in the vehicle chassis designed to protect the vehicle's structural integrity during a collision. It is essential for crash boxes to possess a high energy absorption capacity. However, a rigid structure is undesirable as it can transfer the generated energy to other parts of the vehicle, potentially causing damage elsewhere. Traditionally, crash boxes are made from metallic materials, which adds extra weight to the vehicle. Due to their lightweight properties, composite materials are gaining increasing importance in crash box applications. Beyond the material used in manufacturing, the shape of the crash box and the incorporation of nano particles into the material also affect energy performance. In this study, the energy performance of epoxy resin matrix composite crash boxes produced using the vacuum infusion method was investigated. Glass fiber, aramid fiber, and carbon fiber were used as reinforcement fibers. The effect of 0.50% graphene reinforcement was examined by adding graphene to the epoxy resin matrix. The addition of graphene resulted in a 57.49% and 16.25% decrease in the energy performance of the glass fiber and carbon fiber samples, respectively. In contrast, a 68.08% increase was observed in the aramid fiber-reinforced composite with 0.50% graphene compared to the graphene-free sample. Although the addition of graphene positively affected the aramid fiber-reinforced composite, it did not improve the lowest energy absorption value. In both the graphene-free and graphene-reinforced conditions, the best results were obtained with the carbon fiber-reinforced samples.