Gupta Abhishek, Chawla Komal, Maheswaran Bhanugoban, Syrlybayev Daniyar, Thevamaran Ramathasan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 4;16(1):7148. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60300-8.
Design of shock absorbers requires a delicate balance between mechanical properties and geometric design, allowing them to be compressible yet strong enough to withstand crushing loads. Here, we present a unified framework for designing compact and lightweight shock absorbers by employing a streamlined kinematic model and dimensional analysis. We derive geometric constraints on the thickness and cross-sectional area of a protective foam with a given stress-strain response to ensure that acceleration and compressive strain remain within critical limits. Additionally, we identify the optimal mechanical properties that yield the most compact and lightweight protective foam pads for absorbing impact energy. Contrary to common belief, we demonstrate that foams with a nonlinear stress-strain response can effectively achieve thin and lightweight protective pads, particularly when a large cross-sectional area is required. Guided by this design framework, we introduce optimal architected designs of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) foams-a low-density hierarchical material system.
减震器的设计需要在机械性能和几何设计之间达到微妙的平衡，使其能够被压缩，同时又足够坚固以承受挤压载荷。在此，我们提出了一个统一的框架，通过采用简化的运动学模型和量纲分析来设计紧凑且轻质的减震器。我们推导了具有给定应力 - 应变响应的防护泡沫在厚度和横截面积上的几何约束，以确保加速度和压缩应变保持在临界极限内。此外，我们确定了能产生最紧凑、轻质的用于吸收冲击能量的防护泡沫垫的最佳机械性能。与普遍看法相反，我们证明了具有非线性应力 - 应变响应的泡沫能够有效地实现薄且轻质的防护垫，特别是在需要大横截面积的情况下。在这个设计框架的指导下，我们引入了垂直排列的碳纳米管（VACNT）泡沫的最佳结构设计——一种低密度的分级材料系统。
