Impact crushing behavior of foam-filled paraboloid shells using numerical and experimental methods

Abstract

Abstract. This paper deals with the dynamic response and energy absorption of foamlled aluminum parabolic tubes under axial impact loading. The numerical crush analysis of empty and foam-lled tubes is performed using non-linear nite element techniques. The e ects of geometrical (wall thickness) and material parameters (foam density and Young's relaxation modulus) on the impact response and energy absorption capacity of foam-lled tube are investigated using numerical models. The results show that the foam properties have signi cant e ect on the crushing behavior, force and impact acceleration magnitude, and energy absorption capacity. Furthermore, there is a critical foam density beyond which the structure loses its energy absorption performance. Experimental results acquired from a test setup are used for validating the Finite-Element Analysis (FEA). There is good agreement between numerical and experimental results.