Impact-absorbing effect by applying ultrasonic vibrations to high-tensile steel plate

The stress induced during the plastic deformation of metals decreases with the application of ultrasonic vibrations. This effect is currently employed in industrial operations such as bending. Now, we note that the rigidity of a traditional crushable zone does not change instantaneously. In this light, in this study, we aim to develop an impact-absorbing system by applying ultrasonic vibrations that can change the rigidity of crushable zones instantaneously in the event of a traffic accident. Ultrasonic vibrations reduce not only the stress but also the springback amount. If the decrease in the latter effectively prevents the rebound of the colliding object, damage after rebounding will be reduced. In this study, we developed an experimental device to confirm the impact-absorbing effect by applying ultrasonic vibrations to a high-tensile steel plate. We measured the springback amount, impact-absorbing characteristics, and so on. The springback amount was reduced by up to 43% by the application of ultrasonic vibrations. The impact force was reduced by up to 35% by the application of ultrasonic vibrations.