Design and analysis of a composite energy-absorbing structure for use on railway vehicles

Safety during railway vehicle collisions requires an excellent energy-absorbing ability of the structures of trains. In this paper, a new composite energy-absorbing structure is designed by combining the characteristics of a thin-walled metal structure and an aluminum honeycomb structure. A finite element model of the energy-absorbing structure is created using mechanical properties of the honeycomb structures simulated using material equivalent models. Structures with three types of aluminum honeycomb (honeycombs 1, 2 and 3, respectively) and without a honeycomb are numerically assessed. The results indicate that the entire structure generates an orderly deformation of the structure using the designed energy-absorbing system. The larger the extent of the plateau stress of the honeycomb, the greater is its contribution to the total energy dissipation of the entire structure. For the three energy-absorbing structures, honeycombs 1, 2 and 3, the energy absorbed by the honeycomb structure accounts for 18.03, 19.86 and 27.40 % of the total energy dissipation, respectively. The total energy dissipation of the energy-absorbing structure is also improved with an increase of the plateau stress of the honeycomb structure.

[1]  Qian Wang,et al.  Modeling and optimization of foam-filled thin-walled columns for crashworthiness designs , 2010 .

[2]  Tau Tyan,et al.  Quasi-static crush behavior of aluminum honeycomb specimens under compression dominant combined loads , 2006 .

[3]  M. H. Kashani,et al.  Bitubular square tubes with different arrangements under quasi-static axial compression loading , 2013 .

[4]  H. R. Zarei,et al.  Multiobjective crashworthiness optimization of circular aluminum tubes , 2006 .

[5]  P. Hosseini-Tehrani,et al.  Study on crashworthiness of wagon's frame under frontal impact , 2011 .

[6]  Song Yao,et al.  Structure realization method for collapse threshold of plastic deformation in train collision condition , 2011 .

[7]  Dongmei Wang,et al.  Impact behavior and energy absorption of paper honeycomb sandwich panels , 2009 .

[8]  Faustino Mujika,et al.  On the determination of out-of-plane elastic properties of honeycomb sandwich panels , 2011 .

[9]  J. M. Alexander.  AN APPROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF THE COLLAPSE OF THIN CYLINDRICAL SHELLS UNDER AXIAL LOADING , 1960 .

[10]  Hui Zhou,et al.  Research on the crashworthy structures of subway vehicles , 2014 .

[11]  Zhi-Wei Wang,et al.  Mathematical modelling of energy absorption property for paper honeycomb in various ambient humidities , 2010 .

[12]  Fenglin Guo,et al.  A comparative study on the windowed and multi-cell square tubes under axial and oblique loading , 2013 .

[13]  Fatih Aruk,et al.  Railroad passenger car collision analysis and modifications for improved crashworthiness , 2011 .

[14]  G Lu,et al.  Energy absorption requirement for crashworthy vehicles , 2002 .

[15]  Xuedong Yan,et al.  Using hierarchical tree-based regression model to predict train-vehicle crashes at passive highway-rail grade crossings. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[16]  Tau Tyan,et al.  Quasi-static crush behavior of aluminum honeycomb specimens under non-proportional compression-dominant combined loads , 2006 .

[17]  Tau Tyan,et al.  Dynamic crush behaviors of aluminum honeycomb specimens under compression dominant inclined loads , 2008 .

[18]  Qing Li,et al.  Optimization of foam-filled bitubal structures for crashworthiness criteria , 2012 .

[19]  H. Zarei,et al.  Optimum honeycomb filled crash absorber design , 2008 .

[20]  Zhiliang Tang,et al.  Energy absorption properties of non-convex multi-corner thin-walled columns , 2012 .

[21]  Nobutada Ohno,et al.  Long-wave in-plane buckling of elastoplastic square honeycombs , 2006 .

[22]  Tomasz Sadowski,et al.  Effective elastic properties of foam-filled honeycomb cores of sandwich panels , 2010 .

[23]  E. Acar,et al.  Multi-objective crashworthiness optimization of tapered thin-walled tubes with axisymmetric indentations , 2011 .

[24]  David P. Thambiratnam,et al.  Crushing response of foam-filled conical tubes under quasi-static axial loading , 2009 .

[25]  Heung-Soo Kim,et al.  New extruded multi-cell aluminum profile for maximum crash energy absorption and weight efficiency , 2002 .

[26]  Qing Li,et al.  Design optimization of regular hexagonal thin-walled columns with crashworthiness criteria , 2007 .

[27]  Z. Zhong.  Finite Element Procedures for Contact-Impact Problems , 1993 .

[28]  Amir Nankali,et al.  Study on characteristics of a crashworthy high-speed train nose , 2010 .

[29]  Jorge Ambrósio,et al.  Crash analysis and dynamical behaviour of light road and rail vehicles , 2005 .

[30]  Tadaharu Adachi,et al.  In-plane impact behavior of honeycomb structures randomly filled with rigid inclusions , 2009 .

[31]  Zhang Weihong,et al.  Mean in-plane plateau stresses of hexagonal honeycomb cores under impact loadings , 2009 .

[32]  Bin Wang,et al.  Mushrooming of circular tubes under dynamic axial loading , 2002 .

[33]  Zhang Weihong,et al.  Mean out-of-plane dynamic plateau stresses of hexagonal honeycomb cores under impact loadings , 2010 .

[34]  M. Wolcott.  Cellular solids: Structure and properties , 1990 .

[35]  Yujiang Xiang,et al.  Optimal crashworthiness design of a spot-welded thin-walled hat section , 2006 .

[36]  G J Gao,et al.  Train's crashworthiness design and collision analysis , 2007 .

[37]  Cengiz Baykasoglu,et al.  Crash and structural analyses of an aluminium railroad passenger car , 2012 .

[38]  Giovanni Belingardi,et al.  Material characterization of a composite–foam sandwich for the front structure of a high speed train , 2003 .

[39]  Tadaharu Adachi,et al.  In-plane impact behavior of honeycomb structures filled with linearly arranged inclusions , 2009 .

[40]  Jian-Hong Chen,et al.  Crashworthiness assessment of square aluminum extrusions considering the damage evolution , 2006 .

[41]  David P. Thambiratnam,et al.  Computer simulation and energy absorption of tapered thin-walled rectangular tubes , 2005 .