Glass-fiber mat/PA6 composite tubes subjected to dynamic axial crush loading-Experimental evaluation and high fidelity modeling of failure phenomena

Thermoplastic composite materials are well suited for the development and design of energy absorbing lightweight structures. In this work, the damage initiation and failure phenomena of half-circle and full-circle tubular specimens, made of a novel mat reinforced thermoplastic composite material under axial dynamic crushing is investigated experimentally and numerically. Different specimen configurations were examined detail, where wall thickness, length of test specimen, specimen shape as well as angle of chamfer trigger varied. A pronounced splaying failure can be identified for all configurations resulting in a stable progressive crushing, as well as very promising force-displacement responses in terms of peak force and specific energy absorption. For numerical analysis on structural scale, a high-fidelity multi-layered solid modeling approach is used to predict the damage initiation and failure progress.

Automated summary

Thermoplastic composite materials were experimentally and numerically investigated for their suitability in energy absorbing lightweight structures. Various specimen configurations were examined, and a stable progressive crushing behavior with promising force-displacement responses was observed. The study also utilized a high-fidelity multi-layered solid modeling approach for numerical analysis on a structural scale to predict damage initiation and failure progression.