Design and Structural Analysis of an Automotive Crash Box Using Advanced Hybrid Composite Materials and Optimized Polygonal Geometry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67308/irjist.079Keywords:
Automotive Crash Box, Polygonal Geometry, Hybrid Composite Materials, Crashworthiness, Explicit Dynamic AnalysisAbstract
The crash box is a critical energy-absorbing component of the vehicle crumple zone, designed to protect occupants during frontal collisions by reducing the impact force transmitted to the passenger compartment. With the increasing demand for lightweight vehicle design, improved crashworthiness, and stringent safety regulations, the evaluation of advanced materials and optimized crash box geometries has become increasingly important. This study presents a structural analysis of conventional rectangular and optimized polygonal crash box designs using advanced aluminium-based hybrid composites, namely Al + SiC + Graphene and Al + Al₂O₃ + CNT. The study involves CAD modelling, finite element mesh generation, and explicit dynamic crash simulations using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The crashworthiness performance of the developed designs is evaluated and compared in terms of equivalent stress, total deformation, equivalent elastic strain, and energy absorption to identify an effective lightweight crash box configuration for enhanced automotive safety.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rushikesh R. Waghmare, Chetan D. Sagar, Sachin C. Borse (Author)
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