Design of Octagonal Energy Absorbing Members Subjected to Dynamic Load: Enhancement of Crashworthiness

Abstract

This study examines the crashworthiness performance of the octagonal thin wall tube, based on numerical simulation. The purpose is to find the optimal design with the lowest weight and best crashworthiness parameters in order to protect the passengers’ life. Octagonal members with various trigger mechanisms (circular, square and elliptical triggers) with different distributions from the free end of tube were compared with aluminium alloy (AA6060) tube of 5 mm wall thickness, filled with hollow aluminium foam. The filled aluminium tube has given better results by enhancing the energy absorption by 7.1%, CFE by 29.4% and peak force 16% in case axial loading.