Theoretical analysis on quasi-static lateral compression of elliptical tube between two rigid plates

摘要

Based on the rigid plastic theory, the load-deflection functions with and without considering the effect of strain hardening are respectively derived for an elliptical tube under quasi-static compression by two parallel rigid plates. The non-dimensional load-deflection responses predicted by the present theory and the finite element simula-tions are compared, and the favorable agreement is found. The results show that strain hardening may have a noticeable influence on the load-deflection curves of an elliptical tube under quasi-static compression. Compared with the circular counterpart, the ellip-tical tube exhibits different energy absorption behavior due to the difference between the major axis and the minor axis. When loaded along the major axis of a slightly oval tube, a relative even and long plateau region of the load-deflection curve is achieved, which is especially desirable for the design of energy absorbers.