Crushing behavior of CFRP/AL hybrid tubes under oblique lateral loading

This work aims to research the oblique lateral crushing behavior of CFRP/AL hybrid tubes under different parameter configurations. First, a finite element model was established based on the maximum stress criterion and the traction-separation law. The reliability of the numerical models for pure aluminum, pure composite, and hybrid tubes was verified by rigorous comparison with experimental data, respectively. Second, the influence of loading conditions and geometric characteristics on crashworthiness were studied. The results show that the damage modes of the hybrid tube under oblique lateral loading are mainly concentrated in the horizontal and vertical ends, specifically in the form of plastic hinge and fiber, matrix fracture. The CFRP layers has positive effect on improving the specific energy absorption (SEA). High ratio thickness of aluminum tubes can effectively improve the energy absorption (EA) and crush force efficiency (CFE). It is found that the sandwich structure is not conducive to resist lateral crushing, while the CFRP without external constraints can absorb more impact energy. HighlightsThe oblique lateral crushing behavior of CFRP/AL hybrid tube was studied.A numerical simulation method was proposed and verified.The effects of loading angle, fiber layers and AL thickness were studied.The hybrid ratio and hybrid method were designed and discussed.