Energy absorption ability of buckyball C-720 at low impact speed: a numerical study based on molecular dynamics

Abstract

The dynamic impact response of giant buckyball C-720 is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. The non-recoverable deformation of C-720 makes it an ideal candidate for high-performance energy absorption. Firstly, mechanical behaviors under dynamic impact and low-speed crushing are simulated and modeled, which clarifies the buckling-related energy absorption mechanism. One-dimensional C-720 arrays (both vertical and horizontal alignments) are studied at various impact speeds, which show that the energy absorption ability is dominated by the impact energy per buckyball and less sensitive to the number and arrangement direction of buckyballs. Three-dimensional stacking of buckyballs in simple cubic, body-centered cubic, hexagonal, and face-centered cubic forms are investigated. Stacking form with higher occupation density yields higher energy absorption. The present study may shed lights on employing C-720 assembly as an advanced energy absorption system against low-speed impacts.