Research on the impact resistance performance of combination palm fiber mattresses

Purpose The mattress will inevitably be impacted and compressed during use, and the location of damage often depends on the use environment. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact performance of combined palm fiber mattresses. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a combination of experiments and finite element simulation to examine the performance of mattresses with different combination materials and different thicknesses under various impact condition performance. The experiments consist of punch-through impact tests and flat punch impact tests, which encompass different impact energies (50 J and 100 J) as well as mattress locations (center and edge). Findings In the punch-through impact tests, the maximum impact load of the corn/palm fiber mattress was 11,154 N , while the minimum impact load of the sisal/palm fiber mattress was 5,644 N . This indicates that the sisal/palm fiber mattress is easier to crack than other mattresses. The flat punch impact tests reveal that the thickness of the mattress and the number of impacts have a significant impact on its impact performance. When the mattress thickness is 125 mm, the peak impact load is lower, indicating that thicker mattresses have buffering capacity capabilities and a lower risk of impact compression damage. Meanwhile, the stress and deformation simulation cloud diagrams of the palm fiber mattress under different impact conditions show that the center position has stronger impact resistance and better buffering capacity, which is consistent with the experimental results. Originality/value This study employs finite element analysis and test methods to investigate the impact performance of mattresses. Specifically, the effects of mattress thickness and impact energy on impact testing were examined, revealing a linear relationship between mattress thickness and peak impact force. Furthermore, the impact characteristics of different mattress positions were simulated. The results indicate that double-layer mattresses exhibit greater impact resistance compared to single-layer mattresses.