Development and Testing of Advanced Cork Composite Sandwiches for Energy-Absorbing Structures

Abstract

Cork is a sustainable material with remarkable properties. In addition to its main application as wine stoppers, it has also been employed as a sound and thermal insulator in facades, building roofs, aeronautical applications, and, more recently, in impact energy absorption systems. In its natural form, cork is mainly used in wine stopper manufacturing, but for other applications, cork compounds are usually employed, which makes it possible to manufacture complex geometries with nearly isotropic behavior. In this work, an attempt was made to merge the desirable properties of two different cork materials (agglomerated and expanded black) into cork composite sandwich structures. These structures were tested according to impact conditions typically experienced by energy-absorbing liners used in personal safety devices. Additionally, the performance dependency on the working temperature was analyzed. The sole black, expanded cork (EC159) and agglomerated cork (AC199A and AC216) were tested in 500 J impacts. It was found that black cork was characterized by superior thermal stability, while expanded cork allowed absorbing high energies. In the second stage, the composites consisting of both tested materials were tested in 100 J impact scenarios. The combination of two materials of different properties enabled reduction of the peak force exerted on a helmet user’s head during the impact by about 10% compared to agglomerated specimens. Additionally, it was proved that there was no influence of the glue used to join different cork types.

Experimental Study of Mechanical Properties and Impact-Induced Reaction Characteristics of PTFE/Al/CuO Reactive Materials

“…In reality, the reactive materials are also affected by various factors, such as different shapes, temperature changes, vibrations, etc. [36,37]. This will be the direction of our future research.…”

Method to Assess and Enhance Vulnerable Road User Safety during Impact Loading

“…The cork material improves the overall performance and capacity to withstand multi-impacts comparing to the standard synthetic padding. The device was introduced and evaluated in References [76,77].…”

Rheological and deformation behavior of natural smart suspensions exhibiting shear thickening properties

“…A few innovative examples can be here cited: Fernandes et al [28] studied the application of agglomerated cork as the energy absorbing liner in road helmets, whereas Santos et al [29] discussed how to tailor up the agglomerated parameters to meet desired crashworthiness properties. Kaczyński et al [30] studied the combination of white and black (expanded) agglomerates to create new composites for impact protection purposes. Commercially, famous architects and designers are conceiving ground-breaking designs and solutions based on cork [31].…”