Finite element analysis of energy absorption mechanism of durian peel and durian thorns under compressive load

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the energy absorption mechanism of durian peel under compression using finite element analysis. The durian peel comprises four substructures: thorn skin, thorn core, locule, and membrane. Their mechanical properties were measured experimentally and used as inputs for finite element models. Three-dimensional solid models of the durian peel were created and compared to the corresponding macroscopic responses. Good agreements between the experimental results and model predictions validate the measured properties. Energy analysis of the substructures shows that thorn skins and cores are the dominant components of energy absorption in durian peel under large deformation. Single thorn models with various aspect ratios were created to analyze their influence on energy absorption. The single thorn models were compressed at four angles of attack to capture the effect of peel curvature. The analysis shows that the aspect ratio of a single thorn that balances energy absorption at all angles of attack falls between 1 and 1.25, which is consistent with the experimentally measured values.