Experimental Characterization of the Resistance of Tubular Aluminum Sections

Abstract

Aluminum has a bright future as a structural material due to its excellent corrosion resistance, durability, lightweight, and complete recyclability. However, it is necessary to fully understand its mechanical behaviour under various loading conditions to make it competitive with other materials, such as concrete or steel, for civil engineering applications, especially as primary load-bearing structural members. To develop an in-depth knowledge on the behaviour of extruded aluminum sections of various shapes, an extensive experimental study was undertaken with specific emphasis on analyzing the buckling response of rectangular and square hollow sections (RHS and SHS) with 6061-T6 aluminum alloy under compressive loads. In this regard, six stub column tests were performed under axial compression, while eleven short beam-column tests under eccentric compression are currently in progress. Additionally, six tensile coupon tests were performed to obtain the full material stress–strain curve, and initial geometrical imperfections were measured mechanically and using a 3D scanner. Finally, the results of the stub column tests were compared to the resistances calculated using the Canadian standard CSA S157, which were generally conservative compared to the experimental observations.

Keywords

• aluminum alloy
• RHS and SHS
• experimental tests
• local buckling