Energy Absorption of Aluminium Extrusions Filled with Cellular Materials Under Axial Crushing: Study of the Interaction Effect

Abstract

This investigation focuses on the interaction effect during the quasi-static axial crushing of circular and square thin-walled aluminium extrusions filled with polymeric foam or cork. The increment in the absorbed energy due to interactions between materials was assessed using a validated numerical model calibrated with experimental material data. Simulations were run with variable cross-section dimensions, thickness, and foam density. The results were used to adjust the parameters of design formulas to predict the average crush forces of foam- and cork-filled thin-walled tubes. The analysis of the energy dissipation per unit volume revealed that the highest increments due to the interaction between materials appeared in the foam-filled square extrusions. Energy dissipation increased with higher density foams for both cross-sections due to a stronger constraint of the aluminium walls, and thus a reduction of the folding length. Thinner tube walls also delivered a higher improvement in the energy dissipation per unit volume than those with thicker walls. The contribution of friction was also quantified and investigated.

Crashworthiness Performance of Aluminium, GFRP and Hybrid Aluminium/GFRP Circular Tubes under Quasi-Static and Dynamic Axial Loading Conditions: A Comparative Experimental Study

“…Although there is on-going research on metallic [28,29] and composite [30] tubes, in recent years, the focus has shifted towards foam-filled tubular structures [31] and hybrid metal-composite configurations, in either macroscopic [32,33] or mesoscopic [34] levels, as an attempt to further improve the crashworthy performance of tubular structures at a relatively low cost. The hybridisation of aluminium and CFRP was found to be a promising layout with the potential to be used in applications where lightweighting is important [35].…”