Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Energy Absorption Characteristics of Simple and Multi-cell Shapes of Quasi-hemisphere Thin-walled Structures

Energy absorbers are used to reduce accident induced damages. Thin-walled energy absorbers are widely used in modern industries due to their high efficiency and ease of manufacturing. In this study, thinwalled stainless steel structures in quasi-hemisphere geometry were subjected under quasi-static loading using Santam 150KN apparatus. Experimental results were compared with the results of numerical simulations by LS-DYNA and it was shown that there is a good agreement between experimental and numerical results. Two different collapse types in radial and circumferential directions were observed. Also, the multi-cell quasi-hemisphere specimens from 3 to 6 cells were numerically investigated and it is observedthat increasing the number of cells increases the absorbed energy. Increasing the thickness of the quasi-hemisphere sample in smaller diameter specimens is more effective. The results showed that Sixcell specimen with the largest diameter and the minimum thickness has the most increase of Specific Absorbed Energy (SAE) with respect to simple section.