Engineering Transactions, 65, 4, pp. 543–562, 2017

Energy Absorption Study of Aluminium Profiles with Variety of Filling Configurations

Paweł BOGUSZ
Military University of Technology in Warsaw
Poland

Michał STANKIEWICZ
Military University of Technology in Warsaw
Poland

Grzegorz SŁAWIŃSKI
Military University of Technology in Warsaw
Poland

The subject of this paper is research of thin-walled aluminium profiles filled with different materials and subjected to dynamic load. The aim of this study was to determine the crashworthiness capabilities of the tested elements. Such structures can be used as elements minimalising the effects of blast wave load on military vehicles and occupants carried thereon. The blast wave generated during the explosion of explosives, especially improvised explosive devices(IED), under or near a combat vehicle poses a deadly threat to the crew and passengers inside the vehicle. The idea of installing crashworthy structures in a vehicle seat to protect the crew and passengers is not new. It was found useful in aviation, automotive or railway industry. In this paper, circular aluminium profiles of an external diameter of 50 mm and
thickness of 2 mm were investigated. They were filled with three kinds of materials: cork, foamed aluminium of low density and foamed aluminium of high density. The dynamic tests were performed on a spring hammer apparatus. The energy absorbing structures and materials used to fill the aluminium profiles were examined separately in static compression tests. The characteristics of force-displacement response of the investigated structures were determined,
compared and analysed. The energy absorbing characteristic parameters were obtained and discussed to determine the best option.
Keywords: energy absorbing tests; energy absorbing structures; aluminium structures; foamed materials; cork; experimental research
Full Text: PDF

References

Alem N.M., Strawn G.D., Evaluation of an energy-absorbing truck seat for increased protection from landmine blasts, USAARL Report No. 96-06, U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, Fort Rucker, Alabama, 1996.

Alghamdi A.A.A., Collapsible impact energy absorbers: an overview, Thin-Walled Structures, 39(2): 189–213, 2001.

Hanssen A.G., Langseth M., Development in aluminium based crash absorption components, Presented to the Norwegian-French Industry Conference in Paris, November 1996, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7034 Trondheim, Norway, 1996.

Hanssen A. G., Langseth M., Hopperstad O. S., Static and dynamic crushing of circular aluminium extrusions with aluminium foam filler, International Journal of Impact Engineering, 24(5): 475–507, 2000.

Hanssen A.G., Langseth M., Hopperstad O.S., Static and dynamic crushing of square aluminium extrusions with aluminium foam filler, International Journal of Impact Engineering, 24(4): 347–383, 2000.

Hanssen A.G., Langseth M., Hopperstad O.S., Static crushing of square aluminium extrusions with aluminium foam filler, International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 41(8): 967–993, 1999.

Harte A.M., Fleck N. A., Ashby M. F., Energy absorption of foam-filled circular tubes with braided composite walls, European Journal of Mechanics - A/Solids, 19: 31–50, 2000.

Kecman D., An engineering approach to crashworthiness of thin-walled beams and joints in vehicle structures, Thin-Walled Structures, 28(3/4): 309–320, 1997.

Kellas S., Jones L.E., Energy absorbing seat system for an agricultural aircraft, NASA/CR-2002-212132, December 2002.

Kremer K., Metal foams for improved crash energy absorption in passenger equipment, Final Report for High-Speed Rail IDEA Project 34, Fraunhofer USA, Nevark, Delaware, 2004.

Mayville R.A., Johnson K.N., Stringfellow R.G., Tyrell D.C., The development of a rail passenger coach car crush zone, Proceedings of the 2003 IEEE/ASME Joint Rail Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 2003.

Niu M.C.Y., Composite airframe structures: practical design information and data, Conmilit Press Ltd, Hong Kong 1992.

Pereira M.S., Structural crashworthiness of railway vehicles, Proceedings of the 5th World Congress of Rail Research, Montreal, Canada, 2006.

Santosa S.P., Wierzbicki, T., Hanssen, A. G., Langseth, M., Experimental and numerical studies of foam-filled sections, International Journal of Impact Engineering, 24(5): 509–534, 1999.

Santosa S., Wierzbicki T., Crash behavior of box column filled with aluminum honeycomb or foam, Computers & Structures, 68(4): 343–367, 1998.

Santosa S., Wierzbicki T., Effect of an ultralight metal filler on the bending collapse behavior of thin-walled prismatic columns, International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 41: 995–1019, 2000.

Tabiei A., Nilakantan G., Reduction of acceleration induced injuries from mine blasts under infantry vehicles, 6th European LS-DYNA Users Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2007.

Tyrell D., Tsai T., Improved crashworthiness of rail passenger equipment in the united states, World Congress on Railway Research, Montreal, Canada, June, 2006.

Ubels L.C., Wiggenraad J.F.M., Increasing the survivability of helicopter accidents over water, National Aerospace Laboratory, NLR-TP-2002-110, February 2002.




Copyright © 2014 by Institute of Fundamental Technological Research
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland