The Buckling Mechanism of Square Tube Subjected to the Impact of a Mass

Abstract

The dynamic response of the square tube subjected to the impact of a mass was investigated by using experimental and numerical methods. The square tube was impacted by a mass at the velocity ranging from 5.09 m/s to 12.78 m/s, and different progressive buckling modes were obtained. The numerical simulation was also carried out to analyze the buckling mechanism of the square tube. The results show that there is obvious stress wave propagation and strain localization in the tube, which has a significant influence on the buckling mechanism of the tube. The stress wave and inertia of the mass play different roles at various impact velocities. And buckling mechanism at low velocity is mainly caused by stress wave, whereas the buckling mechanism at high velocity is resulted from the inertial of the mass.