"Design of an origami shaped composite structure with application to a race car crash absorber"

The thesis, with title “Design of an origami shaped composite structure with application to a race car crash absorber”, focuses on the design of an origami- shaped composite structure for use in a race car crash absorber. The goal of the crash box is to guarantee progressive and controlled energy absorption, avoiding peak force that can lead to passenger injury. The origami structure is increasingly considered for crash boxes due to its ability to improve the crushing behavior of composite material structures by modifying their geometrical parameters. The work is focused on design, production, and test of a CFRP crash box that will be compliant with the Formula Student rules using a reliable numerical model validated through real tests. Preliminary characterization of the used material has been investigated; in addition, to fit the numerical model, seven specimens were crashed to have correct experimental feedback. Such research was conducted thanks to the support of Squadra Corse PoliTo; Centro Sicurezza Stellantis Group and Dipartimento di Meccanica Politecnico di Torino. The results showed that the designed crash box was able to meet the requirements of Formula Student rules and provided good energy absorption performance. In conclusion, work demonstrates the potential of origami structures for improving the crushing behavior of composite material structures and provides valuable insights for future research in this field.