Crashworthiness Characteristics Of 3D Printed Thin-Walled Square Tubes With Rectangular Holes Under Quasi-Static Compression Loading

This paper is designed to examine the crash performance and energy absorption of thin-walled windowed square tubes with incorporated windows, produced from polylactic acid (PLA) using 3D printing technology. Three independent design variables, each with two levels, were considered in the analysis of the tubes: the number of windows (4, 5), window length (8, 10 mm), and window width (10, 12 mm). To decide the absorbed energy and crash behaviors, the windowed square tubes were loaded under quasi-static compression. The force and resulting displacement responses during the axial compression of the tubes were recorded. Energy absorption and crashworthiness performance were quantified by measuring several critical indicators, including peak crash force (PCF), energy absorption (EA), specific energy absorption (SEA), mean crushing force (MCF), and crash force efficiency (CFE). The findings indicated that an increase in window size resulted in a reduction in both EA and CFE. For instance, the experimental findings illustrate that the 4W-1 specimen exhibited a SEA value that was approximately 18% and 70% superior to the SEA values recorded for the 4W-2 and 4W-3 specimens, respectively. Furthermore, The CFE demonstrated by specimens 4W-1, 4W-2, and 4W-3 considerably exceeded that of specimens 5W-1, 5W-2, and 5W-3, with percentage increases of approximately 13%, 6%, and 4%, respectively.