Crashworthiness of multi-layer gradient corrugated sandwich circular tube structures

Abstract

A novel multi-layer gradient sandwich tube design, which combines corrugated and circular structures, was developed in this study. The results of quasi-static compression tests and ABAQUS numerical simulations demonstrate that the energy absorption of the multi-layer corrugated sandwich (A333N666) is 147% greater than that of a traditional corrugated sandwich (A3N6). The crushing force efficiency (CFE) increased by 29.3%, and the specific energy absorption (SEA) improved by 36%. For single-layer corrugated sandwich structures, the crashworthiness index increases with the wave number. However, this rate of increase diminishes over time. The crashworthiness index also increases with the wave number for multi-layer sandwich structures, and the magnitude of this increase becomes increasingly pronounced. Notably, experiments and numerical simulations show that the effect of the amplitude gradient arrangement on the crashworthiness index is more significant than that of the wave number gradient. The amplitude gradient arrangement (A432N666) demonstrates the best performance, exhibiting a 42.4% increase in SEA and a 33% increase in CFE compared to the single-layer corrugated sandwich structure (A3N6). Overall, the multi-layer amplitude gradient design exhibits exceptional crashworthiness. The findings of this study may provide valuable insights for the design of thin-walled structures.