| Abstract: | Axial compression experiments on as received aluminum tubes and tubes with wall thickness eccentricity incorporated by off centre machining showed that the eccentricity caused transition of their collapse mode from axisymmetric to diamond. The numerical simulation of the collapse phenomenon was undertaken using a static non-linear Finite Element Analysis in ANSYS, and results are found to compare well with the experimental load compression and energy absorption responses for axisymmetric concertina and non-axisymmetric diamond modes. Having validated the numerical model with experiments, it has been used to undertake a systematic study of the load - compression characteristics and collapse mode transitions of the tubes with varying eccentricities in wall thickness and boundary conditions, as well as the material properties. |
