The axial crushing behavior of a triangulated cylindrical shell constructed by one set of helical strips and circles lying on the surface, is simulated by the finite element method. This paper also discusses the affection to the crushing characteristic of the angle and the number of the helix as well as the number of the circles along the axial direction of the cylinder. Based on the numerical analyses, minimizing problems of the axial crushing force of triangulated cylindrical shells are solved by using the crashworthiness maximization technique for tubular structures which combined the techniques of design-of-experiment, response surface approximation as well as usual mathematical programming. Moreover, the behavior of the triangulated cylinders when subjected simultaneously to axial crushing and twisting forces is optimized.