Impact crushing behavior of foam-filled paraboloid shells using numerical and experimental methods

This paper deals with the dynamic response and energy absorption of foam-fi lled aluminum parabolic tubes under axial impact loading. The numerical crush analysis of empty and foam- lled tubes is performed using non-linear nite element techniques. The eff ects of geometrical (wall thickness) and material parameters (foam density and Young's relaxation modulus) on the impact response and energy absorption capacity of foam- filled tube are investigated using numerical models. The results show that the foam propertieshave signi cant e ect on the crushing behavior, force and impact acceleration magnitude, and energy absorption capacity. Furthermore, there is a critical foam density beyond which the structure loses its energy absorption performance. Experimental results acquired from a test setup are used for validating the Finite-Element Analysis (FEA). There is good agreement between numerical and experimental results.