Energy Absorption by Thin-Walled Tubes with various Thicknesses in Rectangular and Square Sections under Different Quasi-Static Conditions: Experimental and Numerical Studies

Impact is one of the most important subjects which always have been considered in mechanical science. Nature of impact is such that which makes its control a hard task. Therefore it is required to adopt a safe and secure mechanism for transferring the impact to other vulnerable parts of a structure, when it is necessary. One of the best methods of absorbing impact energy is using Thin-walled tubes, where the tubes collapse under impact by absorbing energy, while this prevents the damage to other parts. Purpose of the present study is to survey the deformation and energy absorption of tubes with different type of cross section (rectangular or square) and with similar volumes, height, mean cross section, and material under different speed loading. Lateral loading of tubes are quasi-static type and in addition to the numerical analysis, also experimental experiment has been performed to evaluate the accuracy of the results. Results from the survey indicates that at the same conditions which mentioned above, samples with square cross sections, absorb more energy compared to rectangular cross sections; also by increasing the loading speed and thickness, the energy absorption would be more.