Experimental and numerical study on crashworthiness of cold-formed dimpled steel columns

The UltraSTEEL® forming process forms plain steel sheets into dimpled steel sheets and this process increases the sheet material’s strengths by generating plastic deformation on the material during the process. This paper presented experimental testing and developed a finite element (FE) model to predict the energy absorption characteristics of dimpled thin-walled structures under axial impact loads, and compared the energy absorption efficiencies (specific energy absorption) of plain and dimpled columns. Dynamic experimental tests were conducted using the drop tower at two different impact velocities. Explicit FE analysis were then carried out to simulate the experiments. The FE method was validated by comparing the numerical and experimental failure modes, crushing force response and specific energy absorptions. The validated FE method was then applied in an optimization study on the parameter of forming depth. The effects of forming depth on both geometry and material properties have been taken into account in the optimization study. It has been found that the specific energy absorption of dimpled columns is up to 16.3% higher than the comparable plain columns.