Bending Response of Lattice Structure Filled Tubes under Transverse Loading

Abstract

Thin-walled tubes are widely used as passive energy-absorbing structures in a variety of industries. These structures are typically filled with lightweight materials to improve their energy absorption capabilities. At this point, additive manufacturing technology offers a great chance researchers for the production of novel filler structures to increase the crashworthiness performance of thin-walled tubes. In the current work, additive manufacturable body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice structures are suggested as filling materials for thin-walled tubes, and the bending response of these structures is investigated under transverse loads via a finite element modeling approach. The aspect ratio and strut diameter are considered as design parameters, and three-point bending simulations are conducted to understand the transverse load bearing behaviors of the structures. Different loading offsets are also taken into account for three-point bending simulations. The numerical results revealed that the BCC lattice structures used as filler materials significantly increase the energy absorption performance of thin-walled tubes due to synergetic interactions. In particular, the simulation results revealed that the hybrid tubes can absorb up to 84% more energy than the empty tubes, while the crush force efficiency of these structures is up to 42% higher compared to the empty tubes. The present study also showed that the transverse crushing characteristics of tubes can be considerably improved by suitable selection of the design parameters. These primary outcomes reveal that the proposed lattice structures can be considered as a potential alternative to traditional filler materials for enhancing the bending response of thin-walled tubes under transverse loading.