Research on lightweight laminate for car body with excellent cushioning and energy absorption characteristics

With the development of the economy, car ownership is increasing day by day. In the context of energy shortage and environmental pollution, it is very important to study lightweight and ensure car safety. In this paper, a lightweight fiber metal laminate (FML) with excellent cushioning and energy absorption characteristics for car body is proposed by studying the deformation and energy absorption mechanism of ordinary groove plate under flat pressure. The FML is made up of an M-shaped aluminum alloy sandwich plate and two carbon fiber reinforced composite outer panels. By means of experiment and finite element simulation, it is proved that this structure had good cushioning energy absorption effect. Under the same conditions, the peak force of the M-shaped corrugated core FML with 2.5 mm groove depth is 46.3% of that of the traditional trapezoidal corrugated-core FMLs. Besides, the energy absorption capacity of the M-shaped corrugated core FML with 2 mm groove depth is 1.62 times of that of the traditional trapezoidal corrugated-core FMLs, before the top plate of sandwich unit touches the bottom plate. And cushioning energy absorption mechanism of M-shaped corrugated core FML is further explained by simulation.