Experimental analysis of additively manufactured thin-walled heat-treated circular tubes with slits using AlSi10Mg alloy by quasi-static axial crushing test

Abstract

In this study, additively manufactured aluminum thin-walled tubes with different slit dimensions are proposed to improve energy absorption efficiency. A total of 18 samples, which varied in the number of slits, slit length, slit width, and slit ends, were tested under quasi-static axial compression at a rate of 20 mm/min. The deformation and failure modes, load-displacement curves, and a number of crashworthiness factors were investigated. The factors considered included, but were not limited to, the specific energy absorption, crushing force efficiency, and energy absorbed per stroke. The results indicated that all the considered physical parameters, except for the slit ends, had an influence on the crashworthiness of the structures. The initial peak load decreases significantly as the number, width, and length of the slits increase. The bulk of the tested tubes exhibited a crushing force efficiency greater than 0.8. Overall, the presence of slits with length 15 mm and width 5 mm resulted in lower and smoother crushing forces than the straight tubes and, therefore, greater crushing force efficiency, validating them as crashworthy structures.