Abstract
The paper concerns with energy absorber made of composite material to be used in automotive chassis. The chosen material is a epoxy matrix composite reinforced with glass fibres. The investigated variables are: layer stratification, end chamfering, layer compactness and manufacturing quality. Adopting cylindrical tubes with a chamfered end, the Load-Displacement responses, obtained during crushing, appear to be close to the ideal behaviour for an energy absorber. Also the measured Specific Energy(kJ/kg) in comparison with Guptas analytical formula shows a good agreement. All the specimens evidence comparable behaviour that makes this kind of absorber very reliable. Moreover, this component seems really interesting for automotive applications because of its reasonable cost.