Energy Absorption Characteristics of Bio-inspired Progressive Gradient Hierarchical Quasi-Honeycomb Structures

To enhance the impact resistance and energy absorption capacity of traditional hexagonal honeycomb (THH) structures, a novel bionic progressive gradient hierarchical (BPGH) honeycomb structure is proposed herein through biomimetic design principles, while systematically considering the influence of hierarchical factors on structural performance. The energy absorption characteristics of the BPGH structure are systematically analyzed through finite element analysis and experimental testing. The results demonstrate that compared with traditional hexagonal honeycomb (THH) structures, the BPGH configuration exhibits significant advantages in reducing peak crash forces and enhancing energy absorption efficiency. Specifically, the BPGH structure demonstrates superior values in maximum crash force (MCF) and specific energy absorption (SEA) when benchmarked against THH counterparts. Moreover, BPGH configurations with higher hierarchical levels exhibit lower peak crash forces (PCF) and reduced load fluctuations, leading to a 23.6% improvement in energy absorption stability and a 17.4% increase in specific energy absorption capacity, thereby significantly enhancing overall energy absorption performance.