Nanofluidic energy absorption system: A review

Abstract

The energy absorption system designed on the basis of nanofluidic behavior (also called nanofluidic energy absorption system, NEAS) will have a higher energy ab-sorption density than the conventional energy absorption materials, and can be repeatedly used. Thus it shows great advantages over the conventional energy absorption materials, especially for applications with a limited volume. In this paper, we reviewed the state-of-the-art of the energy absorption behavior of NEAS from both experimental investigations and numerical studies:the experimental work mainly includes quasi-static compression and dynamic compression tests; the computational simulations are mainly based on molecular dynamics simulations developed from the empirical potentials. Using quasi-static compres-sion, we can measure the load-displacement relationship of NEAS, determine the critical infiltration pressure, understand the loading-unloading-reloading behavior of NEAS (closely related to the repeated energy absorption performance of NEAS), and estimate the energy absorption density from the area below the load-displacement curve. By use of the dynamic compression tests, the NEAS performance of the protection against the impact load can be measured, which can be represented by decreasing the impact pulse magnitude and expand-ing the pulse width. The computational studies can clearly show the micro-level response of NEAS to the external load, based on which we can fully understand the energy absorption mechanism and the main controlling parameters of energy absorption density. The present study can help researchers understand the latest research progress of NEAS, and provide an important guideline for the design and optimization of NEAS.