Crashworthiness Analysis of Thin Tubular Sections

This study presents a numerical investigation into the influence of geometric discontinuities on the energy absorption and crushing response of thin-walled aluminium square sections. Four configurations are examined: a solid tube (no hole), tubes with two circular holes, elliptical holes, and corner holes. All discontinuities are introduced 30 mm from the top, with an equal percentage of material removal maintained across the perforated cases. The tubes are subjected to gradual axial and oblique loading at 0°, 30°, and 45° to evaluate how discontinuity type and loading angle affect crashworthiness behaviour. The analysis highlights the role of crush angle and initial impact contact in initiating plastic collapse and shaping the subsequent deformation pattern. Key crashworthiness indicators Energy Absorption (EA), Mean Crushing Force (MCF), Crush Load Efficiency (CLE), and Specific Energy Absorbed (SEA) are computed to assess performance across configurations. The results provide insight into how different discontinuity shapes and orientations influence the collapse mechanism and overall energy absorption capability. These findings support the improved design of thin-walled aluminium energy absorbers for enhanced crashworthiness in practical applications.