beam of global crush stability in the composite beams resulted in slightly lowered SEA at the higher test speed. Next steps The high mass-specific performance of the UD-tape-based thermoplastic composite beams as compared to the conventional metallic materials examined in this study has led to the start of several more projects to evaluate performance and application opportunities for this material. Encouraged by the rapid cycle times and good quality parts achieved by the hot stamp-forming process used to mould composite beams, researchers are also exploring the further development of this process. n Fig. 3: Specific energy absorption (SEA) at 4 kJ and 8 kJ for steel, aluminum, and composite beams are shown in Figure 3. At 4 kilojoules/8 metres per second, the composite beam had an SEA value >30 joules per gram, which is 3x higher than values for the steel and >2x higher than for aluminium beams. At 8 kilojoules/14.6 metres per second, strain-rate stiffening in the metal beams led to increased SEA, and conversely a loss 50 jec composites magazine / No82 July 2013 More information: www.ticona.com [1] E-coat temperatures for vehicles produced in North America tend to be higher (e.g. 200°C).http://www.ticona.com http://www.eco-dec.be