Lateral crashing response of thin-walled composite structures filled with carbon nanopowder

In this article, the performance of transversely loaded glass fiber reinforced epoxy (GFRE) tubular components containing carbon nanopowder (CNP) in terms of crashworthiness was investigated. The wet-wrapping by hand lay-up procedures were used to make GFRE tubes that included 0, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt% of CNP. For the laterally loaded tubes, the crashing load and total absorbed energy (TAE) versus displacement responses were displayed. The histories of deformation were tracked in addition. As part of the crashworthiness analysis, the TAE and specific absorbed energy (SEA) were evaluated. Overall results demonstrated that CNP enhances both TAE and SEA up to 0.50 wt% of CNP; after that, a significant deterioration was noticed. CNP, at very low wt%, is considered a great choice for enhancing the crashworthiness performance of composite structures.HighlightsThe designed tubes, that is, GFRE tubes filled with 0, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt% of CNP, were created using wet-wrapping by hand lay-up techniques.The fabricated tubes were subjected to lateral compression loads to investigate their crashworthiness behavior.The crashing load and absorbed energy versus displacement responses for the laterally loaded tubes were exposed. The history of deformation for each specimen was also examined.The experimental results were analyzed and discussed. Fabrication and lateral crashing testing of glass/epoxy composite tubes filled with carbon nanopowder.image