Crashworthiness and safety
Lightweight vehicle structures
Our central aim is the development of lightweight vehicle structures with reduced weight while optimising safety and structural performance. Technologies based on specially selected lightweight materials can be integrated into large scale manufacturing processes for lightweight structures. Our holistic sustainable development approach enhances structural performance by optimising the reduction of noise and emissions, lightweight construction, freedom in design, integration of functions and the reduction of manufacturing and operational costs.
Lightweight structures activities include:
- Design and cost optimisation
- Lightweight metals
- Modelling and simulation of hybrid thermoplastic and thermoset composites
- Nanoreinforced resilient thermoplastic composites
- Nanophased core sandwich structures
- Functional textile materials for airbags applications
- Structural plastic inserts, bonding and joints design and analyses
- Robust finite element structural analysis of hybrid thermoplastic composites - short fibrous flow materials, polymeric foams and long fibres
- Noise, vibration and energy absorbing structures for impact and crashworthiness’ applications
- Optimisation
Research Capability
- High strain rate measurement equipment including Hopkinson bar and projectiles launcher
- Non-destructive and destructive testing
- Damage tolerance and fatigue analysis
- Customised modelling and simulations techniques
- Virtual testing techniques
- Mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties measurements
- Impact and Crashworthiness testing
- Windscreen impact damage studies
Key academic contacts:
- Brighton, Dr James. Senior Lecturer and Research Engineer
- Njuguna, Dr James. Lecturer
Related facilities:
