Quasi-static axial compression of concentric expanded metal tubes

Previous studies have demonstrated that the failure mechanism and energy absorption capacity of expanded metal tubes strongly depends on the orientation of the cells. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the collapse of concentric expanded metal tubes subjected to quasi-static axial compression. Square tubes with two different cell orientations are tested to failure, and the energy absorption characteristics are calculated. The results show that the combination of cell geometries lead to a complex buckling mode interaction, which enhances the energy absorption capacity of expanded metal tubes.