Experimental study on the crashworthiness of bio-inspired aluminum foam-filled tubes under axial compression loading

As a lightweight and efficient energy-absorbing structure, thin-walled filled structure is widely used in various fields. This paper proposed four types of bio-inspired foam-filled thin-walled structures based on two typical straw structures (Cornstalk and Reed): bionic foam core with a central hole, 4 square holes, 4 taper holes and 2 nodes, respectively. The energy absorption capacity and deformation mode of bionic structures were studied by dynamic drop hammer and quasi-static compression. The results showed that 9 of 12 bionic samples had higher energy absorption capacity than the corresponding fully-filled samples. Different bionic features have different effects on the deformation of thin-walled tube, and the bionic features with the best overall performance are the 4 Square Holes and 4 Taper Holes design. It is noted that the bionic method can improve energy absorption capacity and affect the deformation mode of the thin-walled tubes under certain conditions.