Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• The compact energy absorption (CE) structure integrates cutting rings and thin-walled tube modules, achieving high space utilization and superior crashworthiness. • Drop-weight tests confirmed that the CE significantly improves specific energy absorption (SEA) by 102.76% and 61.54% compared to CSR and TW structures, respectively. • The CE also optimizes crush force efficiency (CFE), with increases of 8.23% and 5.49% over CSR and TW, respectively. • The innovative design employs deformation gradient and delay response strategies, demonstrating strong potential for rail transportation crashworthiness applications.
Abstract
The advancement of rail transportation necessitates energy absorption structures that not only ensure safety but also optimize space utilization, a critical yet often overlooked aspect in existing designs. This study presents a compact energy absorption structure (CE) that integrates the advantages of cutting rings and thin-walled tube modules, offering a solution with the high space utilization and the superior crashworthiness. Through theoretical modeling and experimental validation using a drop-weight test system, we analyzed the dynamic response and energy absorption characteristics of the CE. Comparative analysis with existing structures, namely the cutting shear rings (CSR) energy absorption structure and thin-walled tube structure (TW), revealed that the CE significantly improves specific energy absorption (SEA) by 102.76% and 61.54%, respectively, and optimizes crush force efficiency (CFE) by increasing 8.23% and 5.49% compared to CSR and TW. The innovative design of the CE, featuring deformation gradient and delay response strategies, showcases its potential for practical application in engineering, advancing the field of crashworthiness engineering.
1. Introduction
The demand is increasing for structural crashworthiness with the rapid development of rail transportation. Energy absorption is the core issue of crashworthiness research, and the design of relevant structures have been widespread discussed. Traditional energy absorption structures, such as thin-walled tube [1], square tube [2, 3] and honeycomb [4, 5], are extensively used because of their structural simplicity, controllable cost and convenient preparation. However, the energy absorption characteristics of those structures are limited especially in force efficiency terms. With the in-depth research on metal plastic deformation mechanism [6] and the development of 3D printing technology, many new energy absorption structures have been widely concerned in recent years, such as sandwich plates [7], bio-inspired structures [8, 9], cutting energy absorber [10], foam filling structure [11] and composite materials energy absorption structures [12]. These structures have their own distinctive properties in performance, but they each exhibit some defects and are difficult to be widely used in engineering. In addition, once the structure is determined, the enhancement of energy absorption properties is limited.
To obtain higher energy absorption, lower peak contact force, and more steady response processes, many scholars improved the existing energy absorption structures. MAHBOD et al [13] filled the interior of the composite material corrugated tube with aluminum foam to improve the crashworthiness of the structure. The influence of different geometrical parameters on crush force efficiency (CFE) and specific energy absorption (SEA) was analyzed through the finite element method. The results showed that the CFE of the corrugated structure is 343% higher than that of the straight tube, and the SEA increases by 18% in oblique crushing. SHARMA et al [14] designed a new cell structure based on the connection characteristics of barbs and barbules in rock pigeon feathers and compared the honeycomb and the panel structure. The study showed that this bio-inspired structure has better compressive performance. The deformation mode changes from single shear zone to double shear zone. ZHAO et al [15] developed the features of the foamed aluminum sandwich structure under low-speed impact and analyzed the structural performance through the drop-weight test and the finite element simulation. When the impact speed is low, the deformation mode can be divided into three types. The thickness of the panel, the height of the core layer, and the density have significant effects on the impact resistance of the structure. XU et al [16] explored a bulge tube platform force prediction model for use in the front section of trains. By integrating finite element simulation with experimental validation, they confirmed that their revised model offers enhanced accuracy. WANG et al [17] carried out thermal and structural coupling analysis on the cutting energy absorption structure.
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WANG Yan-jing, SUN Cheng-ming, CHEN Fei-peng, YAO Shu-jian, SUN Hong-ji (2025). Theoretical and experimental study of a compact energy absorption structure. Journal of Central South University. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-025-6000-9
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a compact energy absorption structure?
A compact energy absorption (CE) structure integrates cutting rings and thin-walled tube modules, offering high space utilization and superior crashworthiness for rail transportation applications.
How does the CE improve specific energy absorption?
The CE improves specific energy absorption (SEA) by 102.76% and 61.54% compared to the cutting shear rings (CSR) and thin-walled tube (TW) structures, respectively.
What experimental method was used in this study?
A drop-weight test system was employed to analyze the dynamic response and energy absorption characteristics of the compact energy absorption structure.
What are the key design strategies of the CE?
The innovative design features deformation gradient and delay response strategies, which contribute to improved crashworthiness and energy absorption efficiency.
Where can the CE structure be applied?
The CE structure shows strong potential for practical application in rail transportation and other engineering fields requiring crashworthiness and high space utilization.
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