Teijin is supplying its Sereebo-type carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) for automotive crash box structures, primarily as a replacement for traditional steel and aluminum. A car crash box is a structural component that protects car occupants in the event of a crash.
Sereebo can be freely press-molded as a randomly oriented sheet, where the carbon fiber tows are distributed in random orientations. At 70 joules per gram, the carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic has 4-5 times the shock absorption capacity of conventional steel and 2-3 times that of aluminum or conventional carbon fiber-reinforced thermosets (CFRP).
It is reported that this material facilitates thorough engineering design, first it will generate the shape of the target product based on simulation predictions, and then actual crash testing will be carried out to provide valid data that can be incorporated into the design. In addition, its thickness can be easily changed, enabling effective control of the reaction force on impact, which also helps to optimize the design. The volume fraction (Vf) of carbon fiber in currently available grades is 35%.
Developed for applications such as automotive materials, Sereebo has high manufacturing productivity, taking only about a minute to form a part. Its excellent physical properties and ductility make it used in the manufacture of pickup truck beds by General Motors.
However, as this material is one of the newer materials in the field of vehicle crash boxes, it will take some time to evaluate it in this application, as there is a risk of compromising the material and its shaping when seeking a balance between cost and performance make adjustments.