Journal of Science  and Technology of Composites

Journal of Science and Technology of Composites

Experimental study of energy absorption characteristic of sunflower-inspired foam-filled honeycomb structure under out-of-plane loading

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Shahid Sattari University of Aeronautical Sciences and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
This research introduces a novel gradient honeycomb structure as an energy absorber inspired by the sunflower pattern. It evaluates and compares the crashworthiness parameters and deformation mode of this structure with traditional honeycomb structures. In this research, the effect of filling the honeycomb lattice structure with rigid polyurethane foam on energy absorption and structural strength is investigated. Initially, four types of honeycomb samples with dimensions of 70×70×70 mm were fabricated using an FDM 3D printer with polylactic acid (PLA) material. Subsequently, two-component polyurethane foam was injected into the space between the cells. Next, the samples were subjected to quasi-static compressive loading, and the force-displacement diagram obtained from the test was extracted. Finally, crashworthiness parameters such as energy absorption, specific energy absorption, and crushing force efficiency have been investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed sunflower-inspired honeycomb structure exhibited a 4% and 6% increase in specific energy absorption and crushing force efficiency, respectively, compared to traditional honeycomb structures in energy absorption applications. Additionally, the use of polyurethane foam in both conventional and sunflower-inspired honeycomb lattice structures led to a 16% and 10% increase in energy absorption and average crushing force, respectively, indicating increased strength and improved performance.
Keywords

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