Experimental study of dynamic post-buckling characteristics of columns under fluid–solid slamming

The elastic–plastic dynamic post-buckling characteristics of simply supported columns under axial solid–fluid slamming are experimentally investigated in the present paper. It is found that the dynamic post-buckling response of columns is non-conservative. Based on the observation of plastic collapse of the columns, a dynamic collapse criterion is defined. According to this criterion, the relevant critical impulse for each tested column is given. The influence of different loading sequences and slenderness ratios on the post-buckling behavior of columns is also discussed. The results indicate that the maximum plastic deformation of a column is closely related to the loading sequences but the column load-bearing capacity is basically independent of the loading histories. The column slenderness ratio affects its load-bearing capacity. The larger the slenderness ratios, the lower the load-bearing capacities of the columns.