Cylindrical thin-walled tubes due to construction and easy installation, high energy absorption capacity are used in the automotive industry as an impact energy absorber. However, the main weakness of cylindrical tubes is in the high initial peak load. Therefore, in this paper, to overcome this weakness, a buckling initiator is used at the top of the tube. This buckling initiator is a steel rod...

The axial crushing of thin-walled tubes has been the subject of extensive research in the past. The existing kinematic models for predicting crushing behavior of axially loaded thin-walled tubes are systematically reviewed and analyzed. The advantages and limitations of each model are discussed. A new chain link model for circular tubes and square tubes is presented and studied in detail. Unlik...

In the study of honeycomb crushing under quasistatic loading, two parameters are important, the mean crushing stress and the wavelength of the folding mode. The previous theoretical models did not consider the true cylindrical curvature effects and the flow stress in the folding mode of honeycomb material. The present paper introduces a modification on Wierzbicki’s model based on considering tw...

Motor functions of masticatory organs such as the tongue, lips, cheeks and mandible are known to deteriorate with age, thereby influencing masticatory performance. However, there are few reports on the relationships between tongue and lip functions and masticatory performance. To investigate the relationship between tongue and lip functions and comprehensive masticatory performance, by evaluati...

A new heuristic approach is put forward for tackling container loading problems where the cargo involved has varying degrees of load bearing strength. In such cases the placement rules must ensure that the weight resting on an item remains below the maximum it can withstand without suffering crushing damage. The construction heuristic proposed is embedded in a search algorithm which seeks to op...

Application of impact energy absorption systems in different industries is of special significance. Thin-walled tubes, due to their lightness, high energy absorption capacity, long crushing length and the high ratio of energy absorption to weight, have found ever-increasing application as one of the most effective energy absorption systems. In this research, through  carrying out experimental t...

A bi-criteria optimization is considered whose objectives are the maximization of the load sustained by a structure and the minimization of the structure's volume. As the objectives are conflicting, the solution to the problem is of the Pareto type. The problem is elaborated for a thin-walled column of cruciform cross-section, prone to flexural and torsional buckling. A numerical example is als...

This paper numerically investigates the seismic response of the filled joint under high amplitude stress waves using the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM). A thin layer of independent polygonal particles are used to simulate the joint fillings. Each particle is meshed using the Delaunay triangulation scheme and can be crushed when the load exceeds its strength. The propagation of t...

The wood mechanical properties of progeny from twelve open-pollinated parent trees were examined. Six families were from parents which had high wood specific gravity and six were from parents which had low wood specific gravity. Thirty-two-year-old trees, that had been planted at Many, Louisiana, were sampled and juvenile and mature wood test specimens were prepared. Maximum crushing strength, ...