Crushing characteristics of double circular composite tube structures subjected to axial impact loading

Thin-walled bi-tubular composite structural elements have been recently utilized as one of the signifi-cant energy absorbing elements in automotive and aircraft manufacturing industries to enhance the crushing features of the vehicles by maintaining their light-weight characteristics. This research paper aims to examine the crushing and energy dissipating features of double circular carbon fabric epoxy com-posite tube structures exposed to axial impact force. The recommended double circular carbon fabric epoxy composite tubes were made by hand layup technique. The successfully fabricated tubes were tested under impact loading with a constant impactor mass of 100 kg and varied impact speed of 8 m/ s and 10 m/s. The outcomes revealed that the tubes having 4 layers at 10 m/s velocity gained better energy than the other tube configurations considered in this study. The overall results associated with the circular carbon fabric epoxy composite tubes highlighted the benefits of utilizing these tubes in the aircraft and automotive manufacturing industries. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Technology Innovation in Mechanical Engineering-2021.