Comparison of the automotive bumper produced with different composite materials using the finite elements method

In recent years with the developing technology, the automotive industry and composite material production have also developed. The vehicle lightening issue, which emerged with the aim of saving fuel in the automotive sector, has increased the competition. In parallel with the developments in the automotive sector, studies have increased in the production of composite materials used to lighten vehicles. Composite materials have become widespread in the production of automotive parts with the features they offer. Composite materials are used in vehicle bumpers due to their strength and lightness. In this study, composite materials that can be used on the vehicle bumper were researched. Due to its low cost and easy processing, composite materials consisting of glass fiber and polyester are mostly used in vehicle bumpers. In the study, carbon fiber reinforcement and vinyl ester matrix, which can be an alternative to glass fiber reinforcement material and polyester matrix, were used. 6 different composite materials were created and used with 2 different reinforcement elements and 2 different matrix elements. The mechanical properties of 6 different composite materials were determined by the tensile test. The results were entered into the ANSYS program and the results of the static analysis on the buffer were compared.