Experimental Study of Lateral Deformation of Rubber-Filled Brazen Tubes

Experimental Study of Lateral Deformation of Rubber-Filled Brazen Tubes

The present research is an attempt for experimental investigation of energy absorption characteristics and deformation modes of rubber-filled brazen tubes under lateral compression between two rigid plates during a quasi-static process. The specimens were cutout of commercially available circular brazen tubes with the same length and diameter. The tubes were filled by rubbers with three different shores and an empty tube was prepared in order to compare its energy absorption with the rubber-filled ones. Eventually, the specimens were compressed during the lateral flattening process using a Zwick testing machine. Load-displacement diagrams were sketched and the energy absorptions were calculated. Comparison of the results shows that the tubes filled by rubber with higher shore absorbed more energy than the other specimens and their specific absorbed energies (SAE) were higher, too. Also, rubbers changed the deformation of the tubes to more elastic modes. Since these kinds of energy absorbers have more elastic deformation and higher SAE, they are more convenient for practical usages.