A study on an axial crush configuration response of thin-wall, steel box components: The quasi-static experiments

An experimental investigation was performed to study a specific axial crush configuration response of steel, square box components under quasi-static testing conditions. For a specific cross-sectional geometry/fabrication process, test specimens were obtained from commercially produced, welded tube lengths of ASTM A36 and ASTM A513 Type 1 plain low-carbon steels and AISI 316 and AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels. Removable grooved caps were used to constrain tube test specimen ends, and collapse initiators in the form of shallow machined grooves were used to control the initial transverse deformations of the test specimen sidewalls. The progressive plastic deformation for all of the test specimens was restricted to the prototype configuration response (fold formation process and the corresponding axial load-axial displacement curve shape) of the symmetric axial crush mode. Crush characteristics were evaluated and, for each material type, observed differences were less than 7% for maximum and minimum load magnitudes and less than 2% for energy absorption, displacement, and mean load quantities in both the initial phase and the secondary folding phase cycles. Overall, results of the study indicate that for a significant range of material strengths, a controlled and repeatable energy absorption process can be obtained for commercially produced steel box components undergoing symmetric axial crush response. Published by Elsevier Ltd.