Performance and damage of carbon fibre reinforced polymer tubes under low-velocity transverse impact

The performance and damage of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) tubes under low-velocity transverse impact are investigated. Drop hammer tests were performed to determine the mechanical behaviour and failure modes of different specimens. Further, numerical simulations were performed to analyse the damage evolution during the impact process, and the effect of lamination sequence on the transverse impact performance was analysed. The results show that under impact energies of 5 and 10 J, the tubes tend to generate circumferential cracks. When the impact energy is between 15 and 30 J, the tubes absorb energy by generating circumferential and longitudinal cracks. The damage evolution of the tubes can be better understood through the simulation results. When the ply angle increases from 0 degrees to 75 degrees, the fracture mode of the tube changes from a longitudinal to a circumferential crack. Tubes with complex ply angles have better energy absorption performance.