Perlite–metal syntactic foam is a low-cost cellular metal intended for use in automotive impact protection. To test the viability of the material a 2.5 ton drop test was conducted. Impact mass and energy were selected to replicate the conditions of a frontal impact between a large passenger vehicle and a crash cushion. A hollow syntactic foam cylinder was manufactured to decelerate the drop weight in a controlled manner. Accelerometers and high-speed imaging were utilized to evaluate the performance of the energy absorbing element.
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