Energy-absorbing characteristics of tapered multi-cell thin-walled tube under oblique impact
QI Chang，DONG Fang-liang，YANG Shu，WANG Dong
State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, School of Automotive Engineering Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Abstract： The failure modes and energy-absorbing characteristics of an axisymmetric tapered multi-cell thin-walled square tube under different impact angles were investigated using finite element simulation. The specific energy absorption (SEA) and the peak crushing force were adopted as crashworthiness indices. The effects of structural parameters including the slenderness ratio, the wall thickness and the taper angle, on the energy-absorbing characteristics of the tubes were analyzed. Analytical formulations were fitted to predict the SEA and the peak crushing force under oblique impact. The results show that the tapered multi-cell thin-walled tubes are superior to other similar structures considering energy-absorbing characteristics under oblique impact, while structural parameters significantly influence its energy-absorbing characteristics, the analytical formulations provide a reference and basis for the optimal design of such structures, and contribute to practical engineering applications.
2012, Vol. 31 
