• Tan, Chit
• Ahmad, Zaini

Abstract

Foam-filled thin-walled tubes have been considered to be desirable energy absorbers under axial loading due to their relatively high energy absorption and crush force efficiency compared with an empty tube. In particular, the combination of a tapered tube and foam filler is preferable to a straight tube for energy absorption purposes as a tapered tube can withstand impact load in a stable manner. This paper investigates and compares the energy absorption response of empty and foam-filled conical tubes under quasi static axial loading, in terms of variation in their wall thickness, semi-apical angle and foam density. A parametric study has been performed using a finite element model validated using existing theoretical and numerical models. The numerical model was developed using explicit finite element code LS-DYNA. Overall, the results show that energy absorption capacity is significantly enhanced and a more stable crush response can be obtained by filling the conical tube with metallic foam filler. In addition, the advantages of using a foam-filled conical tube as an energy absorber are highlighted. As a practical outcome of this study, an empirical formula and design information will be developed for the use of foam-filled conical tubes as energy absorbers.

Topics

• density
• impedance spectroscopy
• laser sintering