Bending Crush Resistance of Partially Foam-Filled Sections

Potential applications of foam-filled sections are for the automotive structures. A foam-filled section can be used for the front rail and firewall structures to absorb impact energy during frontal or side collision. In the case of biaxial loading where bending and axial compression are involved in the crushing mechanics, the foam filler will be significant in maintaining progressive crushing of the thin-walled structures so that more impact energy can be absorbed. In the case of side collision, the foam-filled section can be used to strengthen the B-pillar structure to avoid severe intrusion in the passenger compartment.