Honeycomb materials: A solution for safer, lighter automobiles

摘要

Honeycombs are cellular materials manufactured from thin sheet substrates such as aluminum foil or thermoplastics. This paper examines the role of honeycombs in automotive applications for improving the crashworthiness and/or reducing the weight of vehicles. Specifically, honeycomb energy absorbers and lightweight load floors are discussed in some detail. Example applications based on current production vehicles are used to illustrate the concepts presented.