This work studies the potential of using wooden tubes for crash applications. The were made from 1 mm thick “I214” poplar veneers, according to different stacking sequences. Four configurations characterized under static crushing (5 mm/min) and one that performed best ([90/04/90]) was chosen undergo dynamic tests a drop weight tower (5.7 m/s). configuration presents significant energy absorptio...

The numerical simulation of structural parts made from polymers is becoming increasingly important. Although highly sophisticated material laws are available in commercial finite element programs, there are still open questions, especially for crashworthiness analysis. In this paper, we restrict our attention to the explicit solver of LS-DYNA, see [1] and [2]. However, the results are transfera...

Advancements in high-performance computing and in nonlinear dynamic structural simulation have made it possible to virtually test potential designs prior to building and testing expensive prototypes. These tools alone, however, still require an engineer to develop a design based on intuition and numerous time-consuming and error-prone iterations. The next level of advancement is software to aut...

Although whiplash is typically classified as a minor injury, the economic cost ofwhiplash has been estimated at roughly $4.5 billion per year in the United States. International research efforts have included computational modeling, crash reconstructions, biomechanical testing of animals and human cadavers, and experimental rear impact tests using both anthropomorphic dummies and human subjects...

Al foams have found increasing applications in a wide range of structural and functional products, due to their exceptional mechanical, thermal, acoustic, electrical and chemical properties [1–3]. Al foam structures have densities only fractions of that of a solid structure and therefore have high specific strength and stiffness. They also have excellent properties for impact energy, vibration ...