Optimising bio-inspired crash box design under oblique impact

Bio-inspired thin-walled structures hold great promise for vehicle design. While numerous studies have been conducted on these structures, most have focused on evaluating axial loading. This research compares various crash box designs inspired by natural forms, such as bamboo, honeycomb, horsetail, lotus root, and tendon, under oblique impact loading conditions to contribute to the existing literature. The results were evaluated in terms of specific energy absorption, peak crushing force, and the ratio of specific energy absorption to peak crushing force. Furthermore, optimisation studies were conducted using a honeycomb crash box design, yielding the most favourable simulation results.