Crushing Analysis of Square Tube With Fluid and Foam-Filled Cellular Core

Abstract

Abstract Passenger vehicles are constantly being redesigned to maximize occupant safety in the event of a collision. Changes and improvements to automobiles have resulted in a significant amount of energy absorption capability through the vehicle chassis. Axial crushing members are often deployed in vehicle front end and side chassis structures and are designed to absorb a maximum amount of energy before complete deformation. These structures experience a series of progressive folding during axial deformation resulting in moderate and relatively constant force throughout the crushing behavior. To increase the performance of these structures, different cross-sectional shapes and core materials have been investigated. The present study investigates the addition of graded cellular core structure with zones of crushable foam and fluid inserts within the cell voids. The addition of crushable foam material aimed to provide stability to the crushing behavior of the structure. The incompressible nature of the fluid insert provided sections of increased structural strength and a more global crushing response. The finite element approach was conducted using ABAQUS dynamic environment and the square crush tubes were subjected to dynamic axial crushing. Foam and fluid addition provided additional energy absorption while creating a more global deformation response.