Axial Crushing of Concentric Expanded Metal Tubes Under Impact Loading

Abstract This paper investigates the axial crushing response of concentric expanded metal tubes under impact loading. The study is conducted by means of nonlinear finite element simulations, considering the speed of deformation and the size of the expanded metal cells. In the analysis, two tubes are placed concentrically and then axially crushed with an impact mass at various speed levels. Crushing load-displacement responses are analyzed to investigate the influence of the size of the mesh and the impact speed. The results show that specimens with the same mesh sizes increases their crushing length with increasing speed. Finally the main outcome of this investigation is to add to the state of knowledge information concerning the use of expanded metal meshes in impact attenuation devices.