Improvement of energy absorption of impacted column due to transverse impact

The effect of a transverse impact on the buckling behavior of a column under axial impact loading was experimentally investigated. A column under an axial impact was subjected to a transverse impact to instantaneously reduce the structural stiffness. It was found that the absorption of the axial impact energy increased due to the post-buckling deformation being enlarged by transverse impact, though the axial impact load decreased. The experiment showed that the time elapsed from the beginning of the axial impact to the transverse impact significantly influenced the energy absorption. A transverse impact applied simultaneously with an axial impact produced the highest energy absorption. To compare the efficiency of the present method, tests without a transverse impact on specimens that had dents were also conducted. It was confirmed that the present method could increase the energy absorption without loosing any structural stiffness or static strength.