Mon, 04 January, 2021
TWI is delighted to be part of a consortium that has secured funding from Innovate UK for the PROTECT project. The kick off meeting for the project took place on 20 November 2020. The 30-month PROTECT project has the vision to manufacture a multi-material crash-box that enables tailored behaviour/performance during low-speed automotive vehicle accidents.
A crash box is one of the safety features of any vehicle and aims to improve crash performance in low-speed accidents. Conventional crash boxes (i.e. those manufactured from steel or aluminium) exhibit high-peak force and have no way of controlling the rate of deceleration following a crash. Composite alternatives are limited in use due to unpredictable failure.
PROTECT is developing, testing and designing an innovative new crash-box with better impact energy-absorption capabilities; enabling minimal damage and enhanced safety to road users, vehicles and occupants in low-speed collisions.
The partners alongside TWI are Far-UK Ltd (Project Coordinator), Composites Evolution Ltd, Brunel University London (participation through the Innovation Centre Brunel Composites Centre), and Riversimple.
Riversimple are building highly efficient hydrogen fuel cell cars. These vehicles are using composite rather than steel chassis, because light-weighting is key to efficiency, making Riversimple a natural partner for this project.
The PROTECT project has received funding from Innovate UK under reference number 68148
