Title of project - Experimental investigation of the crashworthiness performance of fiber and

Fiber Aluminium-reinforced composites

Submitted by- Mr. Abhijeet Prakashrao Sable

Under guidance of- Mr. Sushant Patil

ABSTRACT-

Crashworthiness is the ability of a vehicle to protect its occupants during an

impact/accident. Crashworthiness plays a key role in energy absorption and hence in vehicle
accidents, also Crashworthiness concerns the safety of a vehicle during a car accident, not crash
prevention. In vehicle accidents, the dissipation of crash forces is of high importance to save
lives and protect assets. Depending on the nature of the impact and the vehicle involved,
different criteria are used to determine the crashworthiness of the structure. Several criteria are
used to assess crashworthiness prospectively, including the deformation patterns of the vehicle
structure, the acceleration experienced by the vehicle during an impact, and the probability of
injury predicted by human body models. Injury probability is defined using criteria, which are
mechanical parameters (e.g., force, acceleration, or deformation) that correlate with injury risk.
To define crashworthiness, car companies must conduct extensive crash testing to
identify potentially injurious car defects. These tests chiefly concern how the force of a
collision affects the occupant of a vehicle. These tests chiefly concern how the force of a
collision affects the occupant of a vehicle.

(Fig.Crashworthiness testing using human dummy)

Car accidents are among the major causes of mortality in modern society. In the
automotive industry, safety is one of the main design considerations. When there is a progressive
collapse of the vehicle structure during a frontal crash, two basic requirements should be fulfilled
for preventing death or serious injury to the occupants.
The first requirement ensures that occupants do not sustain injuries caused by
high inertia forces and material used.
Occupants are not clamped by the car structure during the crash event. To fulfill
this requirement, the deformation of the passenger compartment needs to be
limited.
 ❖ INTRODUCTION –
This project is all about the first requirement of crashworthiness testing
parameter i.e. “high inertial force and material” used. Aluminium, Steel, rubber, plastics and are
four commonly utilized commodities found in cars, specifically for this project we will discuss
about the Aluminium and Aluminium-fiberglass reinforcement composites.
Aluminium-
➢ Strong and Safe- Aluminium have a higher strength-to-weight ratio
than mild steel. Because of that, aluminum is often used in larger crush
zones of vehicles. Using this metal in larger crush zones not only
improves safety but increases performance. First, the decrease in
weight allows for a shorter stopping distance. After all, we all know
that a shorter stopping distance can be the difference between a near
miss and a deadly collision. Secondly, when comparing metals’
strength-to-weight ratios, aluminum’s characteristics enable it to absorb
twice the crash energy of mild steel. This means that aluminum can be
engineered to fold a very specific and predictable way in the event of a
crash. Therefore, the aluminum can absorb the energy of the crash and
help keep the passengers safe. This is extremely important in passenger
vehicles.
➢ Low weight-

➢ Excellent Corrosion Resistance-When manganese and silicon are added

to aluminum it shows high corrosive resistance properties.
➢ Recyclable & More Energy Efficient- Aluminium does not lose its
properties after recycling. But keeping control over certain alloying
elements is important when corrosion properties and appearance are
crucial properties for the product.
 Woven glass fiber-
Woven fiberglass fabrics offer the widest range and the best
control over thickness, weight and strength of all forms of fiberglass textiles. This offers the
materials engineer a wide choice of controlled fabric properties to satisfy design needs and
objectives. In general, woven glass fabrics have the following properties:
i. High Tensile Strength- Glass is one of the strongest textile fibers, having greater specific
tensile strength than steel wire of the same diameter, at a lower weight.
ii. Dimensional Stability- Low elongation under load, generally 3% or less. Glass fibers
produce fabrics with excellent dimensional stability under various types of conditions.
iii. High Heat Resistance- Glass fabrics have excellent heat resistance at relatively low cost.
They retain approximately 50% of room temperature tensile strength at 700°F
(Fig.371°C); approximately 25% at 900°F (Fig.482°C); with a softening point of 1555°F
(Fig.846°C) and a melting point of 2075° F (Fig.1121 °C).
iv. Fire Resistance- Composed of inorganic materials, glass fabrics are noncombustible, a
natural choice where flammability is of concern.
v. Good Thermal Conductivity- The rapid heat dissipation of glass fabrics is particularly
important in electrical insulation applications.
vi. Good Chemical Resistance- Like glass itself, fiberglass fabrics are highly resistant to
attack by most chemicals.
vii. Outstanding Electrical Properties- Glass fabrics withstand high temperature and have
low moisture regain. Along with its high dielectric strength and low dielectric constant,
glass is of major importance and usefulness in the electrical industry.
viii. Durability- Being inert, glass fabrics are unaffected by sunlight, fungus or bacteria.
ix. Economical- Glass fabrics are lower in cost than many other fabrics for similar
applications.

(Fig.Woven glass fiber)

 Aluminium-woven fiberglass reinforcement composites-
Sandwich structures
can be defined as composite structures, since they are composed of at least two different
materials at a microscopic level. Composite materials are utilized in various engineering
applications due to their excellent weight to strength ratio, low cost, lightweight, corrosion
resistance, and environmentally friendly. This project experimentally investigates the effect
of the addition of woven fiber laminates and glassfiber Aluminium sandwich laminates on
the strength and energy absorption capacity of PVC polymer tubes. The sandwich‐
structured composite is formed from two glass‐woven fiber composite layers with
Aluminium layer in between. The crushing parameters, in terms of load–displacement
response, load‐carrying capacity, Specific Energy (Fig.SE) absorption capability, and
Crush Force Efficiency (Fig.CFE) were determined for each sample. Moreover, Scanning
Electron Microscope (Fig.SEM) analysis was carried out to investigate the microstructures,
which clearly indicate the fractured surfaces.

(Fig.Sandwich structure)

(Fig.Sandwich structure of Aluminium and Woven glass fiber)

❖ Objective of project:-

To study the behavior of aluminum material bounded with and without layers of
Woven glass fiber.
To do this analysis base circular cross section tube used as PVC pipes, because most
of body in automobile having curvature areas. [Source of property info-Wikipedia].

No of sets of testing specimens are 5 they are as below.

1) No layer of woven glass fiber on PVC pipes.

2) 5 layers of woven glass fiber on PVC pipes.

3) 1 mm steel layer sandwiched between two lower layers and two upper
layers of woven glass fiber on PVC pipes.
 4) 7 layers of woven glass fiber on PVC pipes.

5) 1 mm steel layer sandwiched between 2 lower layers and 4 upper

layers of woven glass fiber on PVC pipes

➢ Machine- UTM (Universal testing machine) - UTM provides the value of load application
and the respective displacements. From the observed value, the load deflection graph
is obtained. With the load value in the Y-axis and the displacement in the X-axis. The
displacement is actually the movement of the crossheads during the load application.
From the load deflection graph, the stress-strain analysis, modulus of elasticity, yield
strength of the specimen tested can be determined.

Conclusion will be based on the values of Peak Force, Energy, Specific Energy, and
crush force Efficiency.