Numerical Investigation of Energy Absorption Performance in Thin-Walled Structure Under Three-Point Bending Test

The components used to absorb and dissipate the effects of the kinetic energy generated during impact are vital for improving the safety standard of vehicles. Among these, the bending behavior of thin-walled beams in particular plays a critical role in effectively managing the effects of the forces generated in a crash. Furthermore, the material selection of these beams helps to maximize the safety of the occupants inside the vehicle by increasing structural durability. Therefore, the correct positioning and engineering appropriate design of such components in vehicle design is a critical factor to minimize damage from accidents and ensure the safety of occupants. The effective use of these components increases overall vehicle safety by ensuring that vehicles pass crash tests successfully and meet industry standards. In this study, thin-walled beams with seven different geometric structures were designed using the finite element method. In addition, the energy absorption capacities of these designs for three different materials are investigated by considering two important parameters such as specific energy absorption (SEA) and crush force efficiency (CFE). The highest values of both CFE and SEA parameters for the best performing model were obtained with E-glass/PET199 composite material. The use of E-glass/PET199 composite material provided an improvement of 2.32% in the CFE value, while the SEA value remained at the same level (1.08 kJ/kg) as the AA6063-T1 material.