Numerical investigation of axial crushing behavior of a tailor welded tube

This study aimed to determine numerically the crashworthiness performances of tubular members made of aluminum (AL6061-T6), high strength steels (AISI1018, HSLA350, DP600, DP800) and tailor-welded tubes (TWTs), which are composed of aluminum and high strength steels (AL6061-T6&AISI1018, AL6061-T6&HSLA350, AL6061-T6&DP600, AL6061-T6&DP800). Numerical analyses were carried out to investigate the effects of material type, thickness and aspect ratio (tube length to diameter ratio) of tube using the commercially available finite element analysis package Ls-Dyna. Absorbed energy and crushing force variations against the crushing displacement were obtained to determine the axial crushing performance of TWTs. Results showed that the absorbed energy and crushing force can be favorably adjusted by choosing the TWTs with different materials and thickness.

► Crashworthiness of aluminum, high strength steels tailor-welded tubes (TWTs) were investigated numerically.
► Advantages of using TWTs as an energy absorber were reduced with increasing thickness of the tube.
► Peak crushing force values were significantly affected by the materials used.
► The peak force can be adjusted to desired level by choosing soft and hard materials in manufacturing TWTs.