cross section crash boxes
cross section crash boxes
cross section crash boxes
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CHAPTER 3<br />
CRUSHING BEHAVIOR OF TUBULAR STRUCTURES<br />
3.1. Introduction<br />
UNDER AXIAL DEFORMATIONS<br />
Tubular forms of <strong>crash</strong> elements are widely used in transportation industry<br />
especially in automobiles, trains and airplanes. Several different <strong>cross</strong>-<strong>section</strong>al<br />
geometries including circular (Gameiro and Cirne 2007, Singace and Elsobky 2000,<br />
Wang and Lu 2002), square and rectangular (Abedrabbo, et al. 2009, Langseth and<br />
Hopperstad 1997, Qiao, et al. 2006) <strong>cross</strong>-<strong>section</strong>s have been extensively investigated<br />
because of their low cost of manufacturing such as extruding, welding and bending.<br />
Besides the <strong>cross</strong>-<strong>section</strong>al geometries, the base material type determines the <strong>crash</strong><br />
energy absorbing capabilities of tubular structures. Conventional structural steels<br />
(DiPaolo, et al. 2004, Peroni, et al. 2009, Talonen and Hanninen 2006) and aluminum<br />
alloys (Baccouche and Wagner 2001, Mamalis, et al. 2005, Tasdemirci 2008) and<br />
carbon fiber reinforced composites (Chirwa, et al. 2003, Mamalis, et al. 2002, Mamalis,<br />
et al. 2006) are among the most investigated base material types of the tubular<br />
structures. In recent years, lightweight polymeric (Mamalis, et al. 2003a, Toksoy 2003,<br />
Toksoy and Güden 2005) and metallic foams (Hall, et al. 2001, Hall, et al. 2002,<br />
Mamalis, et al. 2009, Rajendran, et al. 2009b) have been considered as fillers for both<br />
metallic and composite tubular structures. One of the most important motivations of<br />
foam filling is to maximize the energy absorption during the <strong>crash</strong> event. Extensive<br />
theoretical studies have also been conducted to predict the crushing behavior of empty<br />
and filled <strong>crash</strong> structures (Wang, et al. 2006).<br />
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