Compression and Energy Absorption of Aluminum Alloy AA6061 and AA7005 Tubes Using Experimental and Simulation Methods

There is a growing need for improved conceptual vehicle designs along with alternative materials to reduce the damage to the passengers and structures in aerospace and automotive industries. The energy absorption characteristics of materials play a major role in designing a safe vehicle for transport. In this paper, compression behavior and energy absorption of aluminum alloy AA6061 and AA7005 tubes in T4 and T6 conditions are investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The AA7005 and AA6061 tubes are solution heat treated and then aged to achieve the final strength in T6 condition. Experimental compression test results have shown improved energy absorption of tubes in T6 condition compared to tubes in T4 condition. There is less variation of energy among the tested samples. The mean load is compared with the results obtained from analytical formulae. Tensile properties have been obtained from tensile tests using UTM for both AA6061 and AA7005 tubes. True stress-plastic strain curves from the tensile test are used in the static simulation of AA6061 tubes. Quasi-static axial compression of the tubes is simulated using the LS-DYNA implicit finite element program. The tube is modeled using shell elements. The peak loads and energy absorption values between experimental compression results and numeral simulation are found to be in good agreement. Effect of thickness and length of tube on energy absorption behavior is studied for AA6061 tubes. The results between T4 and T6 conditions are compared for both AA6061 and AA7005 tube.