On the crashworthiness of thin-walled multi-cell structures and materials: State of the art and prospects

Over the past few decades, there has been a constant pursuit for lightweight and high-performance energy absorption structures and materials in automobiles, trains, ships, aircrafts and other vehicles. Many published works in open literature have confirmed that thin-walled multi-cell structures and materials (TWMCSM) present superior energy absorption efficiency and stable deformation characteristics compared with their traditional counterparts. This article provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the development of TWMCSM for crashworthiness and protection applications. First, a detailed classification is made for TWMCSM according to the base materials and geometric features; then a summary of commonly-used manufacturing methods is presented. Subsequently, the basic energy absorption mechanism and characteristics of TWMCSM are described; on this basis, a complete review of experimental testing and numerical modeling techniques is provided, followed by a detailed discussion on some key parameters affecting the crashworthiness. Next, some representative analytical modeling methods are described for different loading conditions. Furthermore, design optimization procedures and some typical applications of TWMCSM are outlined. Finally, the article concludes with the state-of-the-art and outlook for future researches in enhancing energy absorption and crashworthiness for lightweight TWMCSM. This review is anticipated to provide a comprehensive landscape and informative references for researchers and engineers in the field to design new TWMCSM for better energy absorption and crashworthiness applications.