Design of Adaptive Structures for Improved Crashworthiness

Abstract

The problem of safe, self-adaptive structures with maximum dissipation of impact energy is discussed. The main point is incorporation of the largest portion of the structure to the failure process, e.g. in order to protect passengers in a train accident. The overall effect desired in safe design is analogous with application of structural members with elasto-plastic properties, built into the structure designed for the most expected impact. In our proposition the effect of active adaptation (during transient dynamic analysis) of yield limits in several chosen members to detected the impact will be applied, which gives an important increase of impact energy dissipation.