A periodic dissipative system with self-locking capacity

Periodic systems derive the excellent energy absorption capacity mainly from their inner basic elements. However, lateral spattering of these basic elements frequently occurs in unconstrained dissipative systems under compression or impact load, which drastically reduces their energy absorption efficiency. A self-locking periodic system composed of corrugated tubes that can suppress lateral splashing is proposed to overcome this limitation. These inner corrugated tubes are able to firmly interlock with neighboring columns without any additional constraints, thus achieving the desired self-locking effect. The force-displacement relationship of the inner corrugated tube is solved for the overall compression process based on a plastic hinge model, which is verified by compression test. It is proved that corrugated tubes exhibit excellent characteristics, such as high material utilization ratio and high specific energy absorption. Compression and impact tests are also conducted to validate the self-locking effect of the entire corrugated system. The effects of key geometrical parameters, such as wall thickness, inclination angle and connection plate width, are systematically investigated. Taking both high-performance basic elements and valid constraints into consideration can achieve the optimal specific energy absorption and provide a new strategy for developing energy absorption metamaterials.