Experimental investigations of an energy absorber based on thin-walled metal tube's plastic deformation

Energy absorption characteristics of an energy absorber based on thin-wall metal tube's plastic deformation under quasi-static loading were studied using test method. Three kinds of evaluation methods were put forward, they could be used to evaluate the cushion properties of an energy absorber comprehensively. Based on the deformation mechanism analysis of an energy absorber with thin-wall metal tube's plastic deformation, it was obtained that the energy absorber's ideal energy absorption efficiency can be improved, and load fluctuation can be reduced through pre-processing the expanding ring of the energy absorber. At last, the energy absorption characteristics of 12 types of energy absorbers pre-processed were studied by experiments, and the results showed that the pre-processed energy absorbers can greatly raise the ideal energy absorption efficiency.