Energy absorption limit of plates in thin-walled structures under compression

The present work is aimed at finding the maximum energy absorption efficiency of plates in thin-walled structures under compression. In thin-walled structures, the plates are connected with different angles and by different edge connectivity. The influences of these two major factors on the crush resistance of structures are investigated numerically by nonlinear finite element code. Two extreme modes: uniform mode and opposite mode are defined for the angle elements with different edge connectivity. The energy absorption characteristics of these two modes are investigated and a theoretical model is established to predict the energy absorption capacity of elements deforming in uniform mode. Experimental tests of multi-cell columns are conducted to validate the numerical analyses and theoretical models for angle elements. The numerical simulations and theoretical predictions of the crush resistance of multi-cell columns show a very good agreement with the experimental results.

► The influence of edge connectivity on energy absorption of angle elements is studied.
► Two extreme modes: uniform mode and opposite mode are defined for angle elements.
► A theoretical model is proposed for uniform mode of angle elements.
► Experiments are conducted for multi-cell columns to validate the theoretical results.