In this paper, the energy absorption features of tri-layer explosive-welded deep-drawn cups subjected to quasi-static axial compressive loading are investigated numerically and experimentally. To produce the cups, tri-layer blanks composed of aluminum and stainless steel alloys were fabricated by an explosive-welding process and formed by a deep drawing setup. The quasi-static tests were carried out at a rate of 2 mm/min. Based on the structure of the tri-layer cups and to calculate the energy absorption features of these structures, a numerical model was established and validated by experimental findings. Moreover, based on a surrogate model and using non-domain sorting genetic algorithm II, multi-objective optimizations were performed on specific energy absorption and initial peak load. The results indicated that the total absorbed energy and mean crush force of the pure stainless steel tri-layer cup were about 5.8 and 5.7 times the values of those for the pure aluminum specimen, respectively.

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