Design and analysis of the bionic energy-absorption thin-wall tube under axial dynamic loading

Structural bionic design is extensively applied to vehicle engineering for greater energy absorption efficiency (EA). In a natural setting, bamboo is characteristic of the tubular structure, exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, and can reduce weight efficiently. A group of bionic multi-cell tubes showing disparate cross-section configurations was proposed in this article, and the bamboo structure triggered design inspiration. The bionic tubes were modified by adding bulkheads in the tube, which was also inspired by the bamboo structure. As for bionic tubes, their EA was detected via non-linear finite element method (FEM). The consequences of simulation illustrated that a progressive deformation pattern was gained. The crashworthiness of disparate bionic tubes was contrasted. The consequences illuminate that the EA was excellent. The parameter analysis was presented after conducting a comparative mechanical properties analysis for bionic tubes. Apart from the bionic unit number, the wall thickness (WT) affected the EA and the bionic tube crashworthiness, which was verified numerically.