Lightweight Study on Axial Crushing Thin Cylindrical Tubes of Steel and Aluminum Alloy Based on Equal Energy Absorption

Abstract:

A thin cylindrical tube model was established. Its energy absorption property was analyzed when crushing through finite element method. Then its validity was verified through the corresponding experiment. On the basis of the above research, two different material tubes were selected which were aluminum alloy 6060 and cold-roll steel B340LA. Considering the mechanical performance of these two materials might change during dynamic crushing, so the tubes were crushed in three modes including low speed, medium speed and high speed. In order to predict the wall thickness of the two different material tubes when their energy absorption was equal, two methods were proposed which were overall energy method and the stress-strain energy method. Then get the mass ratio of the two different material tubes when they absorbed equal energy. The results showed that the mass of aluminum alloy 6060 tube was about 86%-90% to B340LA tube when they absorbed equal energy. More than 10% lightweight effect could be obtained when cold-roll steel B340LA tube was instead with aluminum alloy 6060 under the condition of their absorbing equal energy.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 525)
• Pages: 117-122
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.525.117
• Online since: February 2014
• Authors: Chuan Qing Wang, Deng Feng Wang*, Wei Min Zhuang, Ming Xin Zhang
• Keywords: Axial Crushing, Equal Energy Absorption, Material Substitution, Thin Cylindrical Tubes

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