Experimental analysis on the axial crushing and energy absorption characteristics of novel hybrid aluminium/composite-capped cylindrical tubular structures

In recent years, aluminium-composite hybrid tubular structures, which combine the stable and progressive plastic deformation of the aluminium metal with light-weight composite materials, are obtaining increased consideration for meeting the advanced needs of crashworthiness characteristics. This research article presents the experimental outcomes of novel aluminium/composite-capped cylindrical tubes subjected to quasi-static and impact axial loads. The influence of various capped geometries in the aluminium segment and three different fabrics of the composite segment in the cylindrical tube are investigated experimentally. The outcomes of the impact crushing test are also correlated with the quasi-static results of the proposed aluminium/composite-capped cylindrical tubes. The overall outcomes revealed that the crashworthiness characteristics of crushing force consistency and specific energy absorption of the aluminium-composite hybrid tubes are superior to those of the bare aluminium tubes. When the glass fabric/epoxy composite is wrapped to aluminium cylindrical tubes, the specific energy absorption increases about 23-30%, and the wrapping of hybrid glass/kenaf fabrics increases the specific energy absorption of almost 40-52%. Such a hybrid tubular structures would be of huge prospective to be used as effective energy-absorbing devices in aerospace and automotive applications. A further benefit of the composite-wrapping approach is that the composite might be retro-fitted to aluminium tubes, and the energy absorption capability is shown to be significantly enhanced by such utilization.