Crashworthiness analysis of gradient branch circular tubes inspired by the structure of leaf vein
Jiale Huang, Jiale Huang, Jing Shen, Qiuyun Wei, Wentian Lu, Yafei Wang, Wanting Yang, Jianping Huang, Jianping Huang, Jingren Gou
Abstract
The gradient branch circular tubes (GBCTs) were proposed based on the structure of leaf vein. Crashworthiness performances of GBCTs are investigated via finite element simulation. The results show that the specific energy absorption (SEA) of GBCTs is much higher than the conventional circular tube, and it increases with the increase of hierarchical level under the condition of the same mass. GBCTs with large wall thickness have better energy absorption performance, but they also increase the fluctuation of the force-displacement curve. Moreover, the branch point location and gradient wall thickness of GBCTs have a great impact on their crashworthiness performance.