Theoretical investigation on crash performance of bamboo-inspired energy absorption systems based on systematic experimental and numerical analysis

The need for energy-absorbing devices with adaptable crashworthiness is increasingly urgent in various engineering fields with diverse load environments. For this aim, bamboo-inspired modular energy absorption systems have recently been proposed to integrate mechanical efficiency, tunability, and robustness. However, their mechanical responses under varying load velocities have not been systematically studied, which limits the effective prediction and optimization of their crashworthiness. In this study, quasi-static and dynamic experiments were performed on bamboo-inspired systems, discretely assembled using 3D printed steel tube specimens. Matched finite element simulations were conducted using ABAQUS/Explicit. Specific energy absorption and efficiency of these systems respectively exceeded 12.9 J/g and 47 %, surpassing existing discretely assembled systems and rivaling typical cellular materials. Efficient deformation mode with self-locking capability was observed, and sharp impact peak was avoided when the crash velocity was less than 50 m/s. Building upon these findings, a modified spherical shell theory under crashing was developed to predict energy absorption performance of bamboo-inspired system based on the traveling plastic hinge model. The average relative error between the analytical solution and finite element results was found less than 6.5 %. The mean effective stress of the system could exceed 35 MPa under thickness-to-diameter ratio of 5 %. This work presents an efficient and effective approach for optimizing and estimating the crash performance of modular protective devices. [Display omitted] •Quasi-static and dynamic experiments were conducted on bamboo-inspired systems.•The proposed systems outperformed existing modular systems and rivaled cellular materials.•A theoretical model was developed to predict the absorption performance of the proposed systems.•The relative error between theoretical solution and FE results was less than 6.5 %.