Experimental studies on the quasi-static bending behavior of double square tubes filled with aluminum foam

Quasi-static experiments were performed on empty tubes and aluminum foam-filled single and double tubes to study the effects of different filler arrangements on their three-point bending behavior. The load-carrying capacity and energy absorption of different structures are compared. The results confirm the advantage of the foam-filled structures. In particular, the double tube structure with aluminum foam filler enhances the load-carrying capacity, crashworthiness, and total and specific energy absorptions of the structure, in comparison with the foam-filled single tube. It was also found that increasing the wall thickness of the inner tube improves the performance of the structure within the experimental range, and adhesion between foam and tube has a negative effect.