A theoretical analysis for the dynamic axial crushing behaviour of aluminium foam-filled hat sections

A theoretical analysis was performed to predict the dynamic axial crushing behaviour of aluminium foam-filled top hat and double hat sections made from mild steel material. The deformation mode from the test results was used to create a deformation model for the theoretical analysis. According to the energy method and the superfolding element theory, the mean dynamic crushing loads of the aluminium foam-filled hat sections and the interactive effect between the aluminium foam and hat sections were theoretically predicted. The mean dynamic crushing loads and the interactive effect predicted by this theoretical analysis were in good agreement with the experimental results. The theoretical prediction results showed that the interactive effect was mainly from the aluminium foam. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.