Axial crushing analysis of auxetic foam-filled thin-walled circular tube

Abstract

Auxetic materials are new class of materials that have recently been gaining popularity within the research community as an effective candidate to enhance energy absorption due to their enhanced mechanical properties. Unlike normal materials, they exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio when subjected to uniaxial loading. This paper treats crush response and energy absorption performance of auxetic foam-filled circular tubes when subjected to uniaxial quasistatic loading. For comparison, energy absorption capacity, specific energy absorption, deformation modes and load–displacement curves of empty and conventional foam-filled circular tubes were quantified. Quasi-static compression tests were conducted on all empty and foam-filled thin-walled samples. It is found that crush response and energy absorption performance of auxetic foam-filled circular tube is superior to empty and conventional foamfilled circular tubes. The primary outcome of this study is the design information for the use of auxetic foam-filled circular tubes as energy absorbers where impact loading is expected particularly in crashworthiness applications.

Keywords: Auxetic foam, Negative Poisson's ratio, Thin-walled tub, Energy absorption, Axial loading