Experimental and numerical simulation investigation of energy absorption on polyurethane foam-filled external grooved tubes

Subject Areas : Impact

Mohsen Abdous ¹ , Mohamad Javad Rezvani ²

1 - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
2 - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran

Received: 2015-08-26 Accepted : 2015-08-26 Published : 2011-08-23

Keywords:

Abstract :

In this paper, the effect of polyurethane foam and initiator are investigated on axial crushing response of cylindrical aluminum external grooved tubes. For this purpose, an initiator is placed at the top of the foam-filled tube to prevent a sudden applied force to the main part of the structure when the accident occurs. In this new idea, several numerical simulations using ABAQUS 5.6 finite element explicit code are carried out to study of crashworthiness characteristics of the foam-filled thin-walled cylindrical grooved tubes. In order to verify these numerical results, a series of quasi-static axial compression tests are performed. Moreover, load-displacement curves, deformation mechanism of the structure with different number of annular rings are described. The results show that the initiator reduces the intensity of damage to the main structure and occupants.