Investigation into the impact damage behaviour of advanced ship-bridge impact mitigation devices utilising foam-filled composite sandwich panels

With transportation's rapid growth, ship-bridge collisions occur frequently, causing substantial losses. Ship-bridge anticollision facilities should not only protect the structural integrity of bridges but also minimise ship damage. This paper designs a novel ship-bridge anti-collision device based on a trapezoidal foam-filled composite sandwich structure. Using the finite element software LS-DYNA, a ship-anti-collision device-bridge collision model was established, taking into account pile-water-soil coupling. The study investigates the selection of box materials, filling materials and wall thickness for the novel anti-collision device. By analysing the damage characteristics of the ship, anti-collision device and pier under typical collision loads, the optimal material properties were determined. The impact resistance of the optimised device was evaluated under different ship speeds and collision angles, demonstrating that the novel anti-collision device exhibits excellent buffering and energy absorption, effectively reducing the peak collision force, extending the collision duration and reducing damage to the ship's bow structure.