Location of structural fuses for the robust design of structural impact problems

We have developed an approach to optimally locate structural fuses (i.e., openings) on a tube so as to prevent global buckling while enforcing a given amount of absorbed energy. The approach accounts for uncertainties which play an important role in nonlinear dynamic problems.

Figure 1: Example of optimal location of fuses to enforce crushing (no global buckling).

This approach can be used in the design of the front rails of a car for improved crashworthiness (model run with LS-Dyna).