Abstract
Hexagonal thin-walled structures are widely used in protective engineering and the precise prediction of their collapse behavior is very important for their crashworthiness design. In this paper, a precise theoretical model is proposed to predict the collapse behavior of hexagonal tubes under lateral compression. The rigid-linear strain hardening constitutive relation is adopted for the hexagonal tubes. A deep insight into the in-plane deformation mechanism of hexagonal tubes is presented. Comparisons of the present model with the finite element analysis, existing experiments, and conventional rigid-perfectly plastic model are conducted. It is demonstrated that the present model shows a good agreement with both the numerical simulations and the experiments. The influences of strain hardening and tube wall thicknesses on the crushing behavior are discussed. Based on the theoretical analyses, a nearly constant force-displacement plateau is obtained by selecting appropriate strain hardening modulus and wall thickness of the hexagonal tubes. The present study will pave an effective way to clearly understand the large plastic deformation of thin-walled structures with various cross sections. • A precise theoretical model for the large plastic deformation of laterally compressed hexagonal tubes is established. • Influences of strain hardening on the strengthening of materials in the plastic deformation region and geometry of the deforming tube are considered. • The deformation patterns of the tube walls are depicted in detail. • The energy absorption mechanism of the hexagonal tube is explored deeply. • A nearly constant force-displacement plateau can be obtained when the hexagonal tube is properly designed.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call