Citation

Mamalis AG, Manolakos DE, Spentzas KN, Ioannidis MB, Koutroubakis S, Kostazos PK. Int. J. Crashworthiness 2009; 14(5): 489-501.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13588260902826547

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

During a crash event, significant energy must be absorbed by kinetic energy-dissipating systems through material plastic deformation. Such systems are thin-walled steel tubes installed in specific places of the vehicle body to reduce the amount of forces transferred to occupants to a required safety limit and to minimise the cargo damage. The present paper deals with the improvement of the response characteristics of structural components by embodying geometrical discontinuities in the form of circular holes. These discontinuities play the role of crash initiators, which can affect the axial collapse mode, by ensuring a stable collapse process and decreasing the initial peak load. Results of both experimental and finite element (FE) simulation of square steel tubes with circular discontinuities subjected to quasi-static axial loadings are reported. The tubular test specimens were manufactured from commercially mild steel S355 tubes and were tested under various schemes of discontinuities (hole diameter, location, etc.). The proposed numerical model using the LS-DYNA explicit FE code was validated employing testing results from the axial loading and was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.