FOA (first-order analysis) model of a granule-filled tube for vehicle crash energy absorption

An innovative means for improving crashworthiness is to use tubes filled with a granular material to absorb energy during the process of a crash. In this research, the implementation of granular materials in the tubes placed at the front posts of automobiles for improved safety has been studied. Granular particles can create enormous friction through their interactions; therefore a tube filled with a granular material can absorb much more crash energy than an empty tube. The application of granular materials to a crashworthiness design is very challenging but highly effective. In this research, an analytic model has been developed based on the modified effective thickness theory of a tube filled with granules.