Thin-walled structures as impact energy absorbers

The key structural components of the majority of transportation vehicles are designed as thin-walled components. During a crash event, a number of structural components must sustain abnormal loadings in order to meet stringent integrity requirements. At the same time other components must dissipate impact energy in a controlled manner that limits the deceleration of a vehicle to a required safety limit. The present paper focuses on the crushing mechanics of thin-walled components. The analysis method is based on the Superfolding Element (SE) concept, which originates from experimentally observed folding patterns of crushed shell elements. The paper presents milestones of the underlying theory of plastic shells and basic design considerations that are coupled with the SE-based predictive techniques in a CAE software. The paper also presents basic examples of the design process of typical energy absorbing components. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.