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Crashworthiness and energy absorption characteristics of low-altitude aircraft with honeycomb bottom structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2026

Zhe Ren ,
Hongyuan Yang  and
Yiru Ren Open the ORCID record for Yiru Ren [Opens in a new window]
Zhe Ren
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha, China
Hongyuan Yang
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha, China
Yiru Ren*
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha, China
*
Corresponding author: Yiru Ren; Email: renyiru@hnu.edu.cn
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Abstract

With the development of the low-altitude economy, challenges and opportunities are gradually emerging. In potential crash accidents, it is necessary to enhance the crashworthiness of low-altitude aircraft to ensure the safety of the occupants. This paper studies different types of honeycomb energy-absorbing structures located at the bottom of the fuselage. Two types of honeycombs, hexagonal honeycomb (HEX) and re-entrant honeycomb (REH), are selected to construct an integrated energy-absorbing structure to absorb the impact kinetic energy during a crash accident. The effects of cellular type, unit size and wall thickness on the deformation mode and specific energy absorption (SEA) were systematically investigated. The results indicate that REH exhibits more stable hierarchical folding and a higher SEA. Furthermore, the study identifies an optimal geometric configuration, characterised by a specific combination of cellular size and wall thickness, that achieves the most effective balance between lightweight requirements and energy-absorbing capabilities.

Keywords

energy absorptionexplicit dynamicsfinite element analysisre-entrant honeycomb

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Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , First View , pp. 1 - 16
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal Aeronautical Society

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