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Comprehensive Crashworthiness Studies of Novel Alternately-Assembled Multi-Frusta Structures for Energy Absorption Applications

Weiren Zhang

School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, P. R. China

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Fan Yang

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4801-763X

School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, P. R. China

E-mail Address: fanyang@tongji.edu.cn

Corresponding authors.

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Siyuan Zhang

School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, P. R. China

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Yijie Bian

School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, P. R. China

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Peng Wang

School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, P. R. China

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, and

S. A. Meguid

Mechanics and Aerospace Design Laboratory, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

E-mail Address: meguid@mie.utoronto.ca

Corresponding authors.

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219455423500232Cited by:1 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new multicellular design of assembled multi-frusta with alternate orientations and varied taper angles for effective energy absorption applications. Extensive crush test experiments, comprehensive finite-element simulations and analytical modeling were carried out to evaluate the energy absorption performance of the newly proposed multicellular assemblies. The performances of these assemblies are calibrated against conventional assembly of uniform tubes. Two aspects of the work were parametrically examined. The first was concerned with the effect of the frusta taper angle, while the second was concerned with the multi-frusta layout on the energy absorption of the proposed multi-frusta assembled structures. The results reveal that the face centered square layout with an appropriately selected taper angle possesses the optimal high specific energy absorption, low peak force, and smooth crushing force curve, which makes it a crashworthy device.

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