Crushing analysis of multi-cell thin-walled rectangular and square tubes under lateral loading

Crushing behaviors of multi-cell thin-walled rectangular and square tubes are investigated in case of lateral loading. Considering crushing force efficiency (CFE) shows that the connecting type of web-to-corner (W2C) is more efficient than that of web-to-web (W2W). Multi-cell square tube with connecting type of W2C is more effective than multi-cell rectangular tube with connecting type of W2C or W2W in lateral crushing case. The theoretical models of the crushing force are proposed based on improved simplified super folding element (ISSFE) theory and the crushing process for all types of tubes. The plastic hinge lines control the mean crushing force, which is a function of flow stress of material, wall thickness, and length of tube. The peak crushing force is determined based on the mean crushing force and the crushing force efficiency. The theoretical results compare well with the experiment data.