Round hat sections during the lateral flattening process through the experiments

This research performs an experimental study on energy absorption process of round hat section subjected to the quasi-static lateral compression during the lateral flattening progress. To study the absorbed energy capacity, thin-walled specimens with round hat cross-section were laterally compressed between two rigid platens with the loading rate of 10 mm/min. Also, to compare the energy absorption capability, some corresponding simple circular tubes were laterally compressed during the flattening process and their absorbed energy were measured and compared with the round hat section profiles. Furthermore, effects of initial length and wall thickness of round hat sections and outer diameter of the corresponding formed tubes were investigated on absorbed energy progress. The experimental results show that round hat section profiles absorb the kinetic energy up to 176 % more than the corresponding simple circular tubes. Therefore, the round hat section profiles can use as suitable and efficient energy absorber structure in different applications.