Finite element modeling of the quasi-static axial crushing of braided composite tubes

Braided composite tubular structures are being considered as a new type of energy absorbing components to improve vehicle crashworthiness. Unfortunately, there are many difficulties in modeling the crush response of braided composite tubes. In this study, a progressive failure model for braided composite materials, which had been developed as a user material model in ABAQUS/Explicit, was used to simulate the quasi-static axial crushing process of braided composite tubes. The simulation results were verified with the quasi-static axial crushing tests. The failure mode and energy absorbing property showed a good agreement with the test results. This calculating method is very useful for us to solve the similar problems associated with the advanced composite materials. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.