A numerical study on the energy absorption of a bending-straightening energy absorber with large stroke

This paper presents a novel energy absorber that can generate a larger deformation stroke than its free length. The effective crushing distance rate (ECDR) of this structure can exceed 1. During collision, the impact kinetic energy is dissipated by the elastic-plastic deformation of a steel plate and aluminium honeycomb. The bending theory of the steel plate is analysed to estimate the energy absorption (EA) and the mean crushing force (MCF). Then, a finite element (FE) model of the energy absorber is established, and its accuracy is validated by the theory of plate blending. When the plate thickness is 2 mm and 5 mm, the error between the simulation and theoretical results are 1.93% and 3.05%, respectively. The FE model is used to investigate the crashworthy performance. When the new absorber is deformed, the influence of the type of aluminium honeycomb, steel plate thickness and width, guide wheel radius, and number of guide wheels on energy absorption are analysed. Aluminium honeycomb with appropriate parameters can significantly reduce the peak crushing force (PCF) by up to 60.8%. The crushing force (CF) and EA increase as the plate thickness, plate width, and number of guide wheels increase but decreases as the guide wheel radius decreases.