Experimental and numerical investigations on the energy-absorption of a bending-straightening structure

摘要

This paper introduces an energy-absorption structure which dissipates energy utilising the 'bending-straightening' process and the friction of a thin metal plate. Three repeated tensile tests were carried out to investigate the force and energy characteristics of the structure. Different loading methods and loading rates of the simulation were studied and the numerical model was verified. Furthermore, the effects of the metal plate thickness, width, the central distance of the structure and the friction coefficient on the energy-absorption of the absorber were studied systematically. The results show that the structure is of good test reproducibility and the loading process is steady. The stable tensile force (STF) and the dissipated energy increase with the rising of the structural parameters significantly. With some of the engineering improvements, the absorber can be implemented in the seat anti-impact structure and this work can provide guidelines for the design and analysis for engineering applications.