EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS ON THE ENERGY ABSORPTION BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINUM TUBES WITH INDUCTIVE STRUCTURES SUBJECTED TO AXIAL LOADING

A research on the effectiveness of three kinds of new inductive designs on thin-wall aluminium square tubes which are used to reduce the initial buckling peak loads of the tubes under axial loading was carried out. The inductive structures were designed to be close to the loading end of the square tubes, and to function just before the compression happens. Moreover, they would not affect the structural stiffness under its normal working conditions. By using AA 6063 T6 aluminum alloy square tubes, a series of quasi-static and dynamic compression tests were performed. The energy absorption behavior of aluminum square tubes with inductive structures subjected to axial loading was investigated, and the load-displacement curves of original tubes and tubes with inductive structure were obtained and compared. It was found that by using these inductive structures, the initial buckling peak loads of the square tubes could be greatly reduced and the energy absorption became more stable and smooth.