Technical Paper
Utilizing the Crushing Under Load Properties of Polypropylene and Polyethylene Honeycomb to Manage Crash Energy
1994-03-01
940877
Honeycomb absorbs energy by crushing under load. This characteristic has proven to be one of the most reliable and efficient methods of providing “G” limit protection. The action of crushing develops a uniform level of stress near the optimum response desired for energy absorption materials. Energy absorbing designs using honeycomb are presented in several forms. This paper presents a rapid method for calculating preliminary solutions for “G” limit protection. Honeycomb has had application as a calibrated “G” load limiter in test carts and in production steering columns and knee bolsters. Recently a method for continuous production of honeycomb materials from polypropylene and polyethylene (DuPont Tyvek®) called CECORE™ has been developed. These materials are very lightweight with a range of crush strengths and applications. This allows designers to use recyclable base materials in configurations proven to manage energy.