Energy Absorption of a Novel Lattice Structure-Filled Multicell Thin-Walled Tubes Under Axial and Oblique Loadings

Multicell design and lattice structure as filling material are two effective methods for enhancing the energy absorption performance of thin-walled tubes. This study combines these two approaches to present a multicell tube with a novel lattice structure and investigates the energy absorption performances of these hybrid multicell tubes under axial (0 degrees) and oblique (10 degrees, 20 degrees, and 30 degrees) impact loading conditions. As filling structure, beta-Ti3Au lattice geometry with varying lattice strut diameters and the number of lattice unit cells are used, while the single and multicell thin-walled tubes with different tube thicknesses are employed as main absorbing element. In this context, the effects of numbers of lattice unit cells, lattice strut diameter, cell numbers of the tube, and tube thickness on energy absorption performance of hybrid tubes are examined using validated nonlinear finite element models. This investigation unveils that the synergistic interplay between the multicell tubes and lattice structure during deformation significantly elevates the energy absorption performance of the hybrid structure. Notably, the findings demonstrate that multicell hybrid tubes exhibit a remarkable capacity to absorb up to 30.36% more impact energy compared to the aggregate absorption of individual components in hybrid tubes. This study introduces the beta-Ti3Au lattice structure as a novel filling material to enhance the energy absorption of thin-walled multicell tubes. It examines the effects of lattice unit cell numbers, lattice strut diameter, tube cell numbers, and tube thickness on energy absorption using validated nonlinear finite element models.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH