Axial Crashworthiness Characterization of Bio-Inspired 3D-Printed Gyroid Structure Tubes: Cutouts Effect

Abstract

Reducing the risk and severity of injuries during collisions is achieved through the design of crashworthy structures and systems within the vehicle. In this study, the crashworthiness capacity of circular Polylatic-acid (PLA) tubes with circular hole cuts was computed. The planned tubes underwent quasi-static axial compression after being created using a 3D-printing technique. In order to calculate crashworthiness indicators, three design characteristics were utilized, each with three levels. The hole diameter (d), number of holes (n), and their positions (L) constitute the design parameters. The Taguchi technique has been employed within the design of experiments (DOE) approach to ascertain the most favorable crashworthiness indicators. Through the lowest initial peak crash force (F_ip) and the largest absorbed energy (U), the optimal parameters were established. Additionally, the main effect, signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) have been investigated utilizing the commercial software program MINITAB 18. A few runs were attended by the L9 orthogonal array. According to the performed analysis, “L” has the largest impact on the value of F_ip with an influence percent of 66.35%. Whereas “d” has the most significant influence on U with 41.22% contribution percent. Following this, a confirmation test validated predicted values, showing designed tubes’ optimum F_ip was 30.48% smaller than intact tube, but optimal U was 17.21% higher. To put in a nut shell, the holes have a significant influence on the crashworthiness performance of 3D-printed tubes.