To absorb blast energy and reduce blast load on buildings during explosion

a novel energy absorption connector filled with aluminum foam was proposed. Lateral impact loading tests on the proposed energy absorption connectors were conducted to study their energy absorption performance. In the tests

effects of filled aluminum foam and plate thickness on the energy absorption performance of the connectors were investigated. Force-displacement curves of the connectors with aluminum foam showed three stages

including elastic deformation

plastic deformation and aluminum foam densification stage. The plastic deformation of pleated plate and compression of aluminum foam contributed to energy absorption

while the connectors without aluminum foam only relied on plastic deformation to absorb energy. The FE models of the connectors were established utilizing LS-DYNA and then validated with the tests results. It was proved that the proposed connectors showed considerable energy absorption performance which could be largely improved by filling the connector with aluminum foam.