Key Performance Indicators of Tubes and Foam-Filled Tubes Used as Energy Absorbers

2015 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 1550060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfei Xiang ◽  
Min Wang ◽  
Tongxi Yu ◽  
Liming Yang

Based on a systematic investigation on the experimental, theoretical and numerical results on various tubes under axial compression/impact including our own tests, a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for assessing and comparing the energy absorbing performance of tubular structures with various configurations is proposed, so as to guide the design of energy absorbers whilst to facilitate parameter optimization. The five KPIs proposed on the basis of mechanical analyses are effective stroke ratio (ESR), nondimensional load-carrying capacity (NLC), specific energy absorption (SEA), effectiveness of energy absorption (EEA) and undulation of load-carrying capacity (ULC). Moreover, by considering the influence of foam filling, these five KPIs are also modified and extended to the foam-filled tubes. The paper presents a series of diagrams to compare the energy absorbing performance of various tubes in terms of the five KPIs as described above. It transpires that the energy absorption performance of circular tubes is superior to that of square tubes. It is also confirmed that the mass of foam fillers results in reductions of SEA and EEA, though foam fillers will greatly improve the NLC of empty tubes. The novelty of the present study is displayed on the following aspects: (1) uniquely defining the effective stroke by the maximum point of "energy efficiency" f so as to avoid ambiguity which appeared in the literature; (2) instead of a single indicator such as SEA, proposing a set of five KPIs to comprehensively assess the performance of energy absorbers and (3) validating the usefulness of the proposed KPIs by comparing the performance of various tubular structures used as energy absorbers.

2014 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.X. Yu ◽  
Yan Fei Xiang ◽  
Min Wang ◽  
Li Ming Yang

Based on our extensive studies on the experimental, theoretical and numerical results on various tubes under axial compression/impact in the last few years, we propose a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess and compare the energy absorbing performance of tubular structures with various configurations, so as to guide the design of energy absorbers whilst to archive a certain degree of optimization. The KPIs have five factors: Effective stroke ratio (ESR), Non-dimensional Load-carrying capacity (NLC), Effectiveness of energy absorption (EEA), Specific energy absorption capacity (SEA), Stableness of load-carrying capacity (SLC).The paper presents a series of diagrams to compare the energy absorbing performance of various tubes in terms of the four KPIs as described above. The work is valuable to engineering designs and applications, as well as to the further studies of the topic.


2015 ◽  
Vol 828-829 ◽  
pp. 259-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Zhou ◽  
Elmar Beeh ◽  
Horst E. Friedrich ◽  
Michael Kriescher ◽  
Philipp Straßburger ◽  
...  

Quasi-static/dynamic three-point bending tests were conducted to assess the crash performance of magnesium alloy AZ31B extruded and sheet tubes at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) – Institute of Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart. Different foam-filled AZ31B beams with a variation of foam density and thickness were fabricated through several manufacturing processes: cold bending, tungsten inert gas welding, cathodic dip painting and polyurethane foam injection. The experimental results were compared with those from mild steel DC04 tubes. It shows that empty magnesium alloy AZ31B outperforms steel DC04 in terms of specific energy absorption for the empty tubes with equivalent volume when subjected to bending loads. It was found that the foam-filled tubes achieved much higher load carrying capacity and specific energy absorption than the empty tubes. Moreover, there is a tendency showing that a foam-filled beam with a higher foam density reaches higher load carrying capacity, but fractures earlier. The foam-filled AZ31B tube with 0.20 g/cm3foam obtained the highest specific energy absorption, but this outperformance was weakened due to the earlier fracture. In addition, the numerical simulation utilising material model MAT_124 in LS-DYNA explicit FEA package was performed. The simulation results indicate that using calibrated stress-strain curves and failure parameters, material model MAT_124 yields a general good agreement with the experimental results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 159-164
Author(s):  
Fauzan Djamaluddin

In this study, the researcher carried out a comparative investigation of the crashworthy features of different tubular structures with a quasi-static three bending point, like the foam-filled two and tri circular tube structures. Energy absorption capacities and failure modes of different structures are also studied. Furthermore, the general characteristics are investigated and compared for instance the energy absorption, specific energy absorption and energy-absorbing effectiveness for determining the potential structural components that can be used in the field of vehicle engineering. Experimental results indicated that under the bending conditions, the tri foam-filled structures were higher crashworthiness behaviour than the two foam-filled circular structures. Therefore, this study recommended the use of crashworthy structures, such as foam-filled tri circular tubes due to the increased bending resistance and energy-absorbing effectiveness.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Talukdar ◽  
N. Banthia

A study was carried out to investigate the use of Sprayed Fiber Reinforced Polymer (SFRP) for retrofit of timber beams. A total of 10-full scale specimens were tested. Two different timber preservatives and two different bonding agents were investigated. Strengthening was characterized using load deflection diagrams. Results indicate that it is possible to enhance load-carrying capacity and energy absorption characteristics using the technique of SFRP. Of the two types of preservatives investigated, the technique appears to be more effective for the case of creosote-treated specimens, where up to a 51% improvement in load-carrying capacity and a 460% increase in the energy absorption capacity were noted. Effectiveness of the bonding agent used was dependent on the type of preservative the specimen had been treated with.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjeev Rao ◽  
Jimmy Thomas ◽  
Alia Aziz ◽  
Wesley Cantwell

In this work, the manufacturing characteristics and a performance evaluation of carbon fiber–reinforced epoxy honeycombs are reported. The vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process, using a central injection point, is used to infuse a unidirectional dry slit tape with the epoxy resin system Prime 20 LV in a wax mold. The compression behavior of the manufactured honeycomb structure was evaluated by subjecting samples to quasi-static compression loading. Failure criteria for the reinforced honeycombs were developed and failure maps were constructed. These maps can be used to evaluate the reliability of the core for a prescribed loading condition. Improvements in the load-carrying capacity for the reinforced samples, as compared with unreinforced specimens, are discussed and the theoretical predictions are compared with the experimental data. The compression test results highlight a load-carrying capacity up to 26 kN (~143 MPa) for a single hexagonal cell (unit cell) and 160 kN (~170 MPa) for cores consisting of 2.5 × 3.5 cells. The failure map indicates buckling to be the predominant mode of failure at low relative densities, shifting to cell wall fracture at relative densities closer to a value of 10−1. The resulting energy absorption diagram shows a monotonic increase in energy absorption with the increasing t/l ratio of the honeycomb core cell walls.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 1876-1894
Author(s):  
Wathiq Jassim ◽  
Samir M. Chassib

This paper presented an extensive study about the strengthening of RC square short columns with high strength concrete jackets reinforced with steel fiber. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of confinement by fibrous jacket on the behavior of RC column. A comparative study is performed on 23 square columns (six of them were unconfined columns where the remaining seventeen were confined columns) with varied parameters such as steel fibers ratio and type, jacket thickness, partial and full strengthening, type of confining jacket (hoop and composite), use of epoxy as bond material between the concrete column and strengthening jacket, and length parameter. The test results showed that the strengthened columns showed a significant improvement in the ultimate stress, load-carrying capacity, maximum strain, ductility, and energy absorption. Increase the steel fibers ratio (1, 1.5 and 2%) increased the ultimate stress by (22.5, 12.3 and 12.5%) respectively. The use of epoxy as bond material enhanced the ultimate stress by an average improvement by (55%). Composite case in the strengthening enhanced the load-carrying capacity larger than hoop case by (28.7 and 42%) for FRC jackets with hooked and straight fibers respectively but in case of stress capacity, hoop jacket carries stresses more than composite according to the stressed cross-sectional area. Increase jacket thickness (25 and 35 mm) enhanced the ultimate stress by (28.7 and 15.5%) respectively. Partial strengthening has a good enhancement in the ultimate load but was less than full strengthening. Increase the length by (25 cm) decreased the enhancement in load capacity of the column with hoop jacket by (45.3%). Concrete jackets enhanced Energy absorption and ductility which improved the deformation capacity. The compressive behavior of stub concrete columns was also modeled, simulated, and analyzed numerically by a 3D nonlinear finite element model. The verification process was performed against the reported data of the experimental test which proved the results of experimental results and showed a good agreement between experimental and numerical outcomes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 618-619 ◽  
pp. 523-526
Author(s):  
Tim B. Hilditch ◽  
Dale Atwell ◽  
Aiden G. Beer

The performance of extruded AZ31, AZ61 and AM-EX1 tubes was examined in three-point bending. Different extrusion temperatures were used to investigate the effect of grain size on the load-carrying capacity, energy absorption and fracture propensity of the tubes. Results showed that while the peak load increased with a smaller average recrystallised grain size, the retention of large elongated un-recrystallised grains in the microstructure reduced the load. The presence of the large elongated grains also appeared detrimental to the ability of the tube to deform before fracture.


2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kala ◽  
Z. Kala

Authors of article analysed influence of variability of yield strength over cross-section of hot rolled steel member to its load-carrying capacity. In calculation models, the yield strength is usually taken as constant. But yield strength of a steel hot-rolled beam is generally a random quantity. Not only the whole beam but also its parts have slightly different material characteristics. According to the results of more accurate measurements, the statistical characteristics of the material taken from various cross-section points (e.g. from a web and a flange) are, however, more or less different. This variation is described by one dimensional random field. The load-carrying capacity of the beam IPE300 under bending moment at its ends with the lateral buckling influence included is analysed, nondimensional slenderness according to EC3 is λ¯ = 0.6. For this relatively low slender beam the influence of the yield strength on the load-carrying capacity is large. Also the influence of all the other imperfections as accurately as possible, the load-carrying capacity was determined by geometrically and materially nonlinear solution of very accurate FEM model by the ANSYS programme.


2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Kala

The load-carrying capacity of the member with imperfections under axial compression is analysed in the present paper. The study is divided into two parts: (i) in the first one, the input parameters are considered to be random numbers (with distribution of probability functions obtained from experimental results and/or tolerance standard), while (ii) in the other one, the input parameters are considered to be fuzzy numbers (with membership functions). The load-carrying capacity was calculated by geometrical nonlinear solution of a beam by means of the finite element method. In the case (ii), the membership function was determined by applying the fuzzy sets, whereas in the case (i), the distribution probability function of load-carrying capacity was determined. For (i) stochastic solution, the numerical simulation Monte Carlo method was applied, whereas for (ii) fuzzy solution, the method of the so-called α cuts was applied. The design load-carrying capacity was determined according to the EC3 and EN1990 standards. The results of the fuzzy, stochastic and deterministic analyses are compared in the concluding part of the paper.


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