The application of composite materials in vehicle thin-walled structure has attracted more and more interest by carmakers. This study aimed to investigate into the dynamic impact responses of the carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) header rail subjected to the vertical (Z-direction) and horizontal direction (X-direction) loading. The lightweight CFRP header rail was first fabricated using the wet compression molding process, special fixtures were designed and prepared for drop weight impact tests. The failure modes, force responses, energy absorption characteristics and the structural responses to different directional loads were compared. The global peak forces in X-directional tests were higher than those in Z-directional counterpart, but the energy absorption ratios were lower. It is shown that the impact performance of the specimens under Z-directional impact was better than under X-directional impact with same loading magnitude. The finite element (FE) models were then established in both impact directions for exploring the failure mechanisms. The simulated impact process, force-displacement curves and failure modes were found to be consistent with the experimental counterparts. After validation, damaged and weak areas of the specimen could be identified from the simulations, and the models could effectively predict the global peak force and energy absorption ratio.
展开▼
