Energy Absorption of Foam Filled Aluminum Tubes under Dynamic Bending

Abstract

In this article, energy absorption of foam filled and empty aluminum alloy tube under dynamic bending were investigated numerically and experimentally. The material model for aluminum foam was based on the implementation of crushable foam with isotropic hardening combined with strain rate dependence in ABAQUS. Model parameters were determined from quasi-static (ὲ=1x10-3 s-1) and dynamic compression tests on closed cell aluminum foam. The Johnson cook material model was used for tubes. Energy absorption capacity of foam filled aluminum alloy AA7075 tubes was higher than the empty tubes. The peak loads and energy absorption values between experimental results and simulation were found to be in good agreement. At high strain rates, an increase in the energy absorption capacity was observed, which is useful for crashworthy applications.