Effect of Section Geometry and Material Type on Energy Absorption Capabilities of Crash Boxes

Authors : Ertan KÖSEDAĞ, Devrim İŞLER

Pages : 42-51

Doi:10.7212/karaelmasfen.1150591

View : 69 | Download : 38

Publication Date : 2023-06-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In this study, the energy absorption capabilities of crash boxes, which provide energy absorption during an accident in the automotive transportation sector, were investigated. For this purpose, crash boxes in two different materials and four different geometries, Al6063 and A36 steel, were designed. The effects of triangle, square, circular, and hexagon cross-section geometries and material type on energy absorption were investigated using the finite element method, provided that the cross-sectional areas remained the same. In order to minimize the effect of mesh size on the analysis results made with the finite element method, a mesh free preliminary study was performed. Then, crash boxes made of all different geometric sections and different materials were subjected to crash tests under the same boundary conditions. As a result of the analysis, damage patterns, force-time curves, and energies absorbed by crash boxes were obtained. According to these results, the order from the most energy absorbing to the least energy absorbing geometry is hexagon, circle, square, and triangle. The same results were obtained for both material types. Steel material showed about ten times more reaction force than aluminum material.
Keywords : Çarpışma kutusu, Çarpışmaya dayanıklılık, Geometrik kesit, Sonlu elemanlar metodu

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL