Design optimization of the bamboo-inspired foam-filled tube for high-speed train collision energy absorption

Abstract

This study first developed a novel bamboo-inspired foam-filled tube (BFFT) for potential application in high-speed trains, considering the practical use conditions. The BFFT was initially designed by mimicking the macro and micro characteristics of bamboo culms and understanding their axial crushing mechanical behavior. The key bionic parameters are drawn based on the crashworthiness indices of natural bamboos with various geometric sizes and growth ages. The numerical simulation model of the BFFT under axial impact load was established and verified using simplified super folding element (SSFE) theory and drop-weight experiments. A multi-objective optimization on the BFFT was conducted to find the optimal parameter alternative, integrating experimental design method of the optimal Latin hypercube, the response surface agent model and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The crashworthiness performance of the optimized BFFT was compared with the initial design scheme, a conventional circular tube and other existing energy absorbers of rail vehicles. The results indicated that the EA, SEA and IPCF values of the optimized BFFT can be improved by 150.2 %, 63.3 %, and 48.5 %, respectively, when considering the single target requirement. In comparison to the initial design scheme and conventional circular tube, the SEA value of the final optimized BFFT increased by 44.7 % and 53.0 %, respectively. The proposed novel BFFT demonstrated a superior crashworthiness, providing inspiration for enhancing and optimizing passive safety performance of high-speed trains.