Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures

Zeb, Shayan; Wang, Yonghui; Rahman, Asad Ur; Abid, Muhammad; Ahmad, Shahab

doi:10.3390/buildings16122349

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Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures

by

Shayan Zeb

^1,2

,

Yonghui Wang

^1,2,*

,

Asad Ur Rahman

^1,2,

Muhammad Abid

³

and

Shahab Ahmad

^1,2

¹

Key Laboratory of Structures Dynamic Behavior and Control of the Ministry of Education, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China

²

Key Laboratory of Smart Prevention and Mitigation of Civil Engineering Disasters of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China

³

Faculty of Engineering and Digital Technologies, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Buildings 2026, 16(12), 2349; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16122349

Submission received: 2 May 2026 / Revised: 1 June 2026 / Accepted: 10 June 2026 / Published: 11 June 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Building Structures)

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Abstract

In this study, the crashworthiness performance of triangular Kirigami (TK) structures with various geometric configurations is systematically investigated. Quasi-static crushing experiments are first conducted to provide reference data for the calibration and validation of the numerical models. Subsequently, extensive finite element (FE) models are developed in LS-DYNA to examine the influence of geometric parameters on the crashworthiness behavior of the proposed structures. Three key geometric parameters, namely the inclined sidewall length, model height, and model length, are used to describe the structural configurations, and their effects are evaluated in terms of energy absorption and specific energy absorption. The results indicate that the sidewall inclination angle, jointly controlled by the inclined sidewall length a and the model height h, plays a critical role in governing crashworthiness performance, and an optimal range of 40° to 60° is recommended. In addition, the model length must be carefully selected, as inappropriate values may lead to inefficient energy absorption and an undesirably high initial peak crushing force.

Keywords: triangular corrugated structure; Kirigami; parametric study; energy absorption

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zeb, S.; Wang, Y.; Rahman, A.U.; Abid, M.; Ahmad, S. Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures. Buildings 2026, 16, 2349. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16122349

AMA Style

Zeb S, Wang Y, Rahman AU, Abid M, Ahmad S. Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures. Buildings. 2026; 16(12):2349. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16122349

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zeb, Shayan, Yonghui Wang, Asad Ur Rahman, Muhammad Abid, and Shahab Ahmad. 2026. "Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures" Buildings 16, no. 12: 2349. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16122349

APA Style

Zeb, S., Wang, Y., Rahman, A. U., Abid, M., & Ahmad, S. (2026). Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures. Buildings, 16(12), 2349. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16122349

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Crashworthiness Design and Geometric Optimization of Triangular Kirigami-Inspired Energy-Absorbing Structures

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