IMPLOSION TESTS OF ALUMINIUM ALLOY TUBES UNDER EXTERNAL HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE

Abstract

This paper reports the implosion tests of aluminium alloy 6061-T6 tube models under external hydrostatic pressure. The investigations took an emphasis on how to replicate the deep ocean pressure environment of the implosion phenomenon on a laboratory scale. The parameters which affected the implosion pressure pulse were also observed. Two kinds of implosion tests were conducted, namely, dynamic implosion test and quasi-static implosion test. The pressure drops in the post ultimate regime was negligible in the dynamic implosion test which performed using compressed nitrogen gas. The pressure and strain histories of the both implosion tests were compared and analysed. In addition, non-linear FE analyses for quantitative validation and comparison of the imploded tubes were conducted. The numerical quantities including the initial ovality, thickness unevenness, and air backed fluid cavity parameters are investigated to propose more realistic imploded tubes induced by the external hydrostatic loading.