Study on the crashworthiness of multi-cell thin-walled tubes filled with triply periodic minimal surface lattices

Abstract

To improve energy absorption and efficiency and develop a structure with outstanding energy absorption capability, this study proposed designing multi-cell tubes filled with triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattices. Based on experimental and simulation methods, the crashworthiness of multi-cell tubes filled with three types of TPMS lattices (Diamond, Gyroid, and Primitive) was investigated. Five multi-cell tube structures were fabricated by increasing the thin-walled tube corner units, improving the energy absorption efficiency by 67.98%. The results show that due to the coupling between TPMS lattices and thin-walled tubes, multi-cell tubes filled with TPMS lattices exhibited better crashworthiness performance. The energy absorption of multi-cell tubes filled with Diamond, Gyroid, and Primitive lattices increased sequentially. The energy absorption per unit mass and energy absorption capability were most notably enhanced for the multi-cell tubes filled with Diamond lattice, with energy absorption efficiency 17.24% higher and energy absorption 104.26% greater than empty multi-cell tubes. This inspires crash designs of rail vehicles and automotive fronts.