Experimental and simulation analysis of energy absorption capacity of 3D printed structure design

Abstract

Closed-foam cellular structures are widely used for energy absorption owing to their unique properties. This report investigates features that enhances energy-absorption in foams and compares the effect with other types of structures. A 15mm cubed graded closed foam model with an average density of 0.6 together with 4 other closed-foam models of densities of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 will be created with the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. 316 stainless steel was assigned to all 5 models for the simulation with a compression velocity of 1m/s. The test was simulated with the use of ANSYS, a Finite Element Analysis(FEA) software to understand how the addition gradient feature influences energy absorption and other properties. Results showed that energy absorption and density of the closed-foam model are correlated with the total energy absorption of the model increasing as the relative density increases. The graded model performed very well relative to its equivalent density counterpart in terms of energy absorption, performing similarly to the 0.8 density model. Further analysis reveals that overall, the energy absorption efficiency decreases as the density of the model increase with the graded model having the lowest density. Future studies could explore the other different features or combinations that can be implemented together with a closed-cell foam model, farther optimizing and enhancing the energy absorption of the structure. The findings of this study can help contribute experimental data to high density closed-foam models as well as development of lightweight and efficient energy absorbent structures