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Abstract. The use and the combination of new, high efficient materials for crashworthiness is of great interest nowadays. Foamed materials are commonly used to increase efficiency of composite materials. Based on the results obtained by Brachos and Douglas, it can be concluded that the sum of the energy absorption capabilities of the foamed filling and unfilled composite tubes is smaller than the energy absorbed by the tubes filled with the same filling. The paper presents the results of the experimental investigations into the influence of filling the tubes with different materials on the impact energy absorption capability. The tube shaped specimens made of epoxy composite, reinforced with carbon or glass fabrics were filled with foamed aluminium or foamed poly(vinyl chloride). It was proved that the foamed materials increase the energy absorption and the absorbed energy of the tubes filled with foams is greater than the sum of the energy absorbed by the composite tube without filling and the foamed material itself investigated separately, when the wall thickness is more than 2 mm. The investigations of the filled tubes with the thickness of walls equal to 1 mm showed lower absorbed energy values because the crushing force had decreased during the crush. The investigations were executed to show what are the effects of filling composite energy absorbing elements in the shape of tubes with foamed materials. Additionally, influence of tube wall thickness and crush mechanism were studied.

Abstract. In the work, the attempt to determine the influence of loading rate on temperature of the surface of the crushed composite energy absorbing elements was undertaken. The specimens made of epoxy composites reinforced with glass fabrics and carbon fabrics of the structures [(0/90)T ]n were subjected to dynamic investigations. Thermovision investigations were conducted during energy absorbing tests. A thermovision camera enables the measurement of the temperature on the whole surface of the specimen visible in the camera lens while the measurement with the use of thermocouple is only local and has great heat inertia. During the investigations, the increase of specimen temperature related to impact velocity occurs. The temperature increase is caused by friction between the particles of the crushed specimen and by friction between the specimen and the support of the strength machine. At high loading rates, the increase of temperature on the surface of the specimens was significantly greater than the softening temperature of the epoxy resin E-53.

Abstract. The paper presents the results of the experimental static axial crush performance of unfilled and filled composite tubes. Composites are widely used as materials for energy absorbing structures because of their low density and a very high absorbed energy in relation to the mass ratio. Foamed materials are used in order to additionally increase their efficiency, because of stabilizing the progressive crush. It was proved by many authors that various foamed materials positively influence the energy absorption. In this work authors took effort to evaluate a very different material as a filler of common composite elements -elastomers. Elastomers are materials characterised by very high crush strains and viscoelastic properties. The tube shaped specimens made of epoxy composite, reinforced with carbon or glass fabrics were filled with elastomers of 40; 60; 70 and 90• ShA hardnesses. The influence of the elastomer hardness and the filling degree on the energy absorption factor (EA) was evaluated. The degree of filling the specimens with elastomers is determined by a different size of the elastomer perforation. Elastomers have a negative impact on the energy absorbed by the composite tubes.

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