Effect of Fibre Orientation on the Quasi-Static Axial Crushing Behaviour of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyvinyl Chloride Composite Tubes

In this study, glass fibre reinforced (GFRP) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes were subjected to quasi-static axial compression tests to determine their crashworthiness performance. To this end, this study employed GFRP/PVC tubes with four different fibre orientations, 45 degrees, 55 degrees, 65 degrees and 90 degrees. A five-axis filament winding machine was used to fabricate the tubes. The results show that there was a considerable increase in all crashworthiness characteristics due to GFRP reinforcement. For the GFRP/PVC composite tubes of different fibre orientations, the load-bearing capacity, crush force efficiency and energy absorption capability generally improve with increasing fibre orientation. The GFRP/PVC 45 degrees specimen was a notable exception as it exhibited the best specific energy absorption capacity and a crushing force efficiency that was only slightly less than for the GFRP/PVC 90 degrees specimen.