The work aims to study the nonlinear large deformation and energy absorption characteristics of the shock absorber formed by simply supported curved beam to provide theoretical reference for shock absorber design and application. Based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the control equation of large deformation of simply supported circular curved beam was derived, in which the curvature radius and section angle were selected as the basic parameters of the control equation. The large deformation and deformation energy of the simply supported curved beam were analytically expressed considering various deformation conditions of the curved beam under the action of the platens, and then the deformation conditions and deformation energy of the shock absorber under different external forces and initial installation angles were calculated and compared with the numerical results. The high agreement between the theoretical results and the numerical solution showed the reliability of the calculation method. The cushion coefficient depended on the material, radius of curvature and initial installation angle, and had nothing to do with the quantity of beam. When the initial installation angle was , the minimum cushion coefficient of the shock absorber could reach 6.12. The simply supported curved beam shock absorber has obvious nonlinear large deformation characteristics and good energy absorption characteristics. It can be used to replace the traditional shock absorption materials and is convenient to be used in shock absorption design of transport system. The basic design method of simply supported curved beam shock absorber is given.