Design and impact characteristics simulation of buffer structure based on rubber and acrylic materials

This study focuses on the design and simulation of a novel anti-impact device for advanced hydraulic supports in underground coal mining, aiming to mitigate the severe damage caused by roof collapses. The core energy-absorbing component utilizes chiral honeycomb structures with functionally graded porous characteristics, employing rubber and acrylic materials. Through finite element analysis, the impact resistance and energy absorption efficiency of chiral honeycomb structures with different ligament configurations (3-, 4-, and 6-ligament) and materials were systematically evaluated. Results indicate that the 6-ligament chiral honeycomb structure exhibits superior deformation resistance and energy absorption compared to the 4-ligament counterpart. Rubber-based structures demonstrated larger deformations but slower stress wave propagation, while acrylic materials showed higher energy absorption efficiency with smaller displacements. The optimized design achieved over 30% energy absorption under impact loads ranging from 1×10⁴ J to 1×10⁵ J, providing critical response time (>60 ms) for hydraulic safety valves. This work provides theoretical and technical guidance for the application of chiral structures in impact protection engineering.