Mechanical properties and energy absorption properties of aluminum foam-filled square tubes

Longitudinal and transverse mechanical properties and energy absorption properties of foam-filled square tubes under quasi-static loading conditions were studied. The foam-filled thin-walled square tube was fabricated with aluminum tube as its shell and closed-cell Al-Mg alloy foam as its core. The results indicated that the plateau region of the load-displacement curve exhibited a marked fluctuant serration which was clearly related to the formation of folds. The longitudinal deforming mode of foam-filled square tube was the same as that of the empty tube, but the fold number of foam-filled square tube was more than that of the empty tube. The longitudinal compression load and energy absorption value of foam-filled square tube were higher than the sum of that of aluminum foam (alone) and empty tube (alone) due to the interaction between tube and filler. In transverse direction, the compression load and energy absorption ability of foam-filled square tubes were significantly lower than those in longitudinal direction.