Analytical Prediction of Crushing Thin-Walled Square Tube with Static Axial Loads Using Elliptical Holes as Crush Initiators

Abstract

In the structure of passenger vehicles there are components that absorb the impact load, which components are commonly thin-walled square tube. The design of the impact energy absorber model can be carry-out by experiment, simulation, and analysis. In the design of this impact energy absorbing component, an elliptical hole was used as a crush initiator to reduce peak loads and set the start of the bending pattern. Analytical predictions were made to reduce costs and speed up time to obtain mean load and peak loads values from the same shape model. In this study, a thin-walled square tubes model is used with an elliptical hole that have ratio of horizontal axis and vertical axis is from 3:7 until 7:3. The result of this study showed that the prediction of the peak load and average load by analytical means has a good conformity with the simulation. Keywords: Impact energy absorber, analytical, square tube, elliptical hole.