Inward crushing of square and round carbon/aramid multiple-segment tubes under axial quasi-static loading

The failure modes and energy absorption of square and round carbon/aramid multiple-segment tubes under quasi-static axial crushing were investigated. Cavity-shaped initiators were used to trigger inward crushing. The findings showed that for the same material lay-up, round tubes outperformed square tubes. The ability of the tube bottom segment to first crush symmetrically within the initiator had significant effects on the subsequent deformation modes of the tube. Among the tubes used in this study, those possessing graded stiffness with lower stiffness material at the initiator end and higher stiffness material at the crush end, crushed more uniformly within the initiator before folding progressively upward, displaying high energy absorption.

Automated summary

The failure modes and energy absorption of square and round carbon/aramid multiple-segment tubes under quasi-static axial crushing were studied. Cavity-shaped initiators were used to trigger inward crushing. The results showed that round tubes outperformed square tubes for the same material lay-up. The deformation modes of the tube were significantly influenced by the ability of the tube bottom segment to first crush symmetrically within the initiator. Among the tubes used in this study, those with graded stiffness crushed more uniformly within the initiator before folding progressively upward, exhibiting high energy absorption.