Impact of Mechanical Properties of Steel on the Energy Absorption of Honeycomb for Truck Mounted Attenuators and Crash Cushions

Abstract

The paper considers mechanic of energy-absorbing honeycomb’s structures used in crash cushions and truck mounted attenuators (TMAs) installed on safety cars during road works or in front of dangerous obstacles on the roads on special services vehicles in order to reduce the impact of an accident and occupant’s level of injury. When a vehicle hits, its kinetic energy is converted into the internal energy of deformation of the elements of the construction. One of the factors affecting energy absorption is the mechanical properties of the material from which the structure is made and impact velocity. Basically, TMAs and crash cushions are made of steel or aluminum alloys, the properties of which differ. The impact of yield strength and tangential modulus of steel st3 on the energy-absorption of a honeycomb structure is studied in the paper using the finite element method by Ansys LS-DYNA.