Title: Energy absorption characteristics of rib reinforced thin-wall extruded structure subjected to axial crush

Authors: Raghu V. Prakash; Rohan S. Ghogare

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai 600036, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai 600036, India

Abstract: Results of an experimental and numerical study on rib reinforced square cross-section thin wall extruded aluminium tubes formed by TIG welding process subjected to axial compression are presented in this paper. The distance between the ribs plays a vital role in modifying the energy absorption capacity of structure. Ribs assist the formation of more number of plastic hinges. As the rate of loading increases, the mean crushing force and energy absorption also increases for the same axial crushing distance. Results of the numerical study were found to be within 5-8% variation with the experimental results.

Keywords: crush test; energy absorption; extruded aluminium column; foam filled column; rib reinforcement; thin-wall extruded structures; axial crushing; vehicle safety; axial compression.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVS.2014.063264

International Journal of Vehicle Safety, 2014 Vol.7 No.3/4, pp.345 - 373

Published online: 30 Oct 2014 *

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