Serhienko O. The computational and experimental method for evaluating the energy absorbing properties of passive safety elements of sports cars

The dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Engineering Sciences in specialty 05.22.02 - Automobiles and tractors. - Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kharkiv, 2018. The dissertation is dedicated to the development of a computational and experimental method for evaluating the energy absorbing properties of passive safety elements of sports cars. The scientific results are 1) a mathematical model of a car collision; 2) a mathematical model of an occupant's behavior in an impact; 3) a methodology that allows to determine the specific energy absorption capacity of composite materials. The developed models and methodology allow for the first time to solve the theoretical and applied problem of making decisions on evaluating energy absorbing properties of passive safety elements of sports cars, which makes it possible to reduce the likelihood of injury to a person in an accident. The proposed models and methods allow to increase the efficiency of ensuring passive safety of a car due to improving the accuracy of evaluating passive safety elements of the car in comparison with traditional methods. The specific energy absorption capacity of composite materials has been determined, which is 60 J/g for carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and 22 J/g for glass-reinforced plastic. Keywords: passive safety, frontal collision, energy absorption, composite materials, specific energy intensity, passive safety structure.