Abstract
In this paper, impact energy absorption capacity for thin-walled tapered tube subjected to axial compression is studied by using a finite element method MSC.Marc. In particular, effects of tube geometries on the deformed shapes and variations of compressive load are discussed. Thin-walled tapered tube has an advantage over a non-tapered tube, because its compressive load can be enhanced and its energy absorption capacity increases during axial compression. Moreover, based on our numerical result, we propose an evaluation technique in order to predict the compressive load and deformation diagram for the tube. This prediction gives good agreement with our experimental result.
