Bearing Mode Absorber – On the Energy Absorption Capability of Pulling a Bolt through a Composite or Sandwich Plate

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the energy absorption capability of continuously pulling a metallic bolt through a composite or sandwich plate. The influence of various parameters like the fibre and matrix material as well as the fibre architecture and angle on the specific energy absorption under quasi-static and high-rate dynamic loading was assessed. The achievable quasi-static weight-specific energy absorption (SEA) values up to 164 kJ/kg are very promising compared to classical absorbers. Considerable strain rate effects led to significantly lower values under high-rate loading, though. The thin-skinned sandwich specimens used in this study were not competitive with lower SEA values.