Energy absorption of multilayer aluminum foam-filled structures under lateral compression loading

Abstract

This article proposes a biomimetic multilayer foam-filled structure (BMFS) that mimics the microstructural characteristics of biological structures such as human bone and whale baleen. The lateral compression performance of such structures is investigated using experimental and numerical analyses. The proposed structure consists of three layers of aluminum foam with different densities filled in several concentric circular aluminum tubes. The test includes a solid design (Design-1) and a hollow design (Design-2). A series of quasi-static compression tests and finite element simulations are conducted, and the results show that BMFS exhibits a more advantageous sequential collapse deformation pattern for practical use. An energy absorption analysis of each layer shows that the energy absorption ratio of the foam layer reaches 85%. Comparing Models 1–3 of the two designs shows that the energy efficiency decreases, and the work efficiency increases, as the foam density increases. In addition, the interaction between the tubes and foams enhances the energy absorption properties of the structure. The parameter study shows that the energy absorption characteristics of Design-2 are insensitive to the diameter of the tube. The SEA of Design-1 increases with the thickness of Tube-1.

Keywords:

• Energy absorption
• bioinspired structures
• lateral loading
• foam-filled structures
• graded structures

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52078152 and No. 12002095). This work is also supported by grants from General Program of Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan (No. 202102021113) and Guangzhou Government-University Union Fund (No. 202201020532).