Investigation into the effect of the functionally graded and sandwich PVC foam filling on the energy absorption capability of 6063-T5 al tubes

Metallic tubes are preferred in many different fields due to their energy absorbing efficiency. In order to increase the ability to absorb energy, foam filling by using different types of foam is still up to date. In this study, the energy absorbing capability of 6063-T5 aluminum tubes which were filled by using three different foam densities (60, 80 and 100 kg/m(3)) were investigated experimentally. Base tubes were filled by using three different foam filling models such as uniform density, functionally graded and sandwich model. In addition, in each foam filling models, different sample combinations were obtained by changing the thickness of the foam layers. The highest energy value absorbed in the uniform density foam filling model was obtained in the combination of 80 kg/m(3) density foam, which is 37% higher than the base tube. Considering all specimen combinations, the increase in the absorbed energy value is between 18% and 43%, while the highest value was obtained in the sandwich model. In the examination of the test results, the specific energy absorption values of each specimen were also taken into consideration. The specific energy values for some sample combinations were lower than the base tube, while the highest value was obtained in the sandwich model with the value of 27.71 l/g which is about 11% higher compared to the base tube. In contrast, the specific energy absorption values of some specimens were lower than the base tube.