Effect of Corner Bluntness on Energy Absorbing Capability of Non-circular Metallic Tubes Subjected to Axial Impact

Abstract

The energy absorbing capability is one of the most important aspects of crushing behavior of a structure subjected to axial impact. In this paper, a simple practical method is introduced to enhance the crushing behavior of this kind of structure. The axial impact of metallic energy absorbing thin-walled tubes with special shaped cross-section is simulated using LS-DYNA software. The effect of change in the corners bluntness of non-circular metallic thin-walled tubes on their energy absorbing capability has been studied. Moreover, the mean crushing force, the maximum deformation, and the mass specific energy absorption (MSEA) of the tubes were compared. Results show that the energy absorbing capability can be significantly improved by choosing proper bluntness of the corners for quasi-triangle- and quasi-square shaped tubes. Furthermore, results show an improvement in the energy absorbing capability of quasi-square shaped tubes even in comparison with circular one.