Non-linear finite element analysis of bitubal circular tubes for progressive and bending collapses

• Numerical simulations of circular tubes for progressive and bending collapses.
• Crashworthiness comparison of different configuration circular tubes .
• The new design information of foam-filled cylindrical tubes is expected.

This paper presents non-linear finite element analysis to carry out the dynamic response of foam-filled double circular tubes for axial progressive and global bending collapse modes. Some aspects were considered to investigate the crashworthiness capability of cylindrical tube for instance geometry, material and loading parameters. In addition, three types of structures namely empty double tubes (ED), foam-filled double tubes (FD), and foam-filled single tubes (FS) were observed under oblique impact. Crashworthiness parameters were determined in the numerical solution after validated with experiment and theoretical results in relevant references. Moreover, it is evident that the crash ability of the foam-filled double tube is better than the other structures. Finally, the main outcome of this study is the new design information of different tube configurations as energy absorber where two collapse modes are expected.