Effect of Fibre Orientation on the Quasi-Static Axial Crushing Behaviour of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyvinyl Chloride Composite Tubes

In this study, glass fibre reinforced (GFRP) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes were subjected to quasi-static axial compression tests to determine their crashworthiness performance. To this end, this study employed GFRP/PVC tubes with four different fibre orientations, 45 degrees, 55 degrees, 65 degrees and 90 degrees. A five-axis filament winding machine was used to fabricate the tubes. The results show that there was a considerable increase in all crashworthiness characteristics due to GFRP reinforcement. For the GFRP/PVC composite tubes of different fibre orientations, the load-bearing capacity, crush force efficiency and energy absorption capability generally improve with increasing fibre orientation. The GFRP/PVC 45 degrees specimen was a notable exception as it exhibited the best specific energy absorption capacity and a crushing force efficiency that was only slightly less than for the GFRP/PVC 90 degrees specimen.

Automated summary

This study examined the crashworthiness performance of glass fiber reinforced polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes through quasi-static axial compression tests. The results showed that the reinforcement of GFRP significantly increased all crashworthiness characteristics. Among the various fiber orientations tested, higher fiber orientations generally led to improvements in load-bearing capacity, crush force efficiency, and energy absorption capability, with the exception of the GFRP/PVC 45 degrees specimen, which exhibited the best specific energy absorption capacity.