Lateral collapse of orthogonal and non-orthogonal cross-layered arrays of square and rectangular tubes

Mechanisms of collapse of orthogonal and non-orthogonal cross-layered systems of as-received square and rectangular aluminium tubes have been examined by subjecting them to lateral compression between two rigid platens in an Instron machine. In the systems considered, the number of tubes in a layer, as well as the number of layers were varied. In the cross-layered systems of single tubes the layers were up to four and the angle θ, was 0°, 30° and 60° for each combination of square tubes, and 30° in the case of rectangular tubes. In the cross-layered systems, the number of tubes in each layer was varied from two to five and number of layers, from two to four. Angle θ was 30°. The load-compression curves of the cross-layered systems are presented, and have been related to the corresponding curves of the single-tube cross-layered systems. Relations for the elastic collapse load, deformed length of the tube in each layer and the mode of collapse occurring in a layer of a given system are presented.