Flattening process of empty and polyurethane foam-filled E-glass/vinylester composite tubes – An experimental study

This paper presents quasi-static crushing performance of empty and polyurethane foam-filled E-glass/vinylester composite tubes with different geometrical characteristics to use in sacrificial cladding structures. Some empty and foam-filled tubes were compressed laterally between two rigid plates. The effects of polyurethane foam-filler on the crushing characteristics and the corresponding energy absorption by the composite tubes are investigated. Composite tubes with three different fiber fabric layers were considered to study the influence of polyurethane foam on the crushing performance. Also, effects of different geometrical characteristics on energy absorption by different tubes are studied. Experimental results show that the presence of polyurethane foam inside the composite tubes suppresses the circumferential delimitation process and fiber fracturing; consequently, it increases the specific absorbed energy by the composite tubes during the flattening process. Also, it is resulted that injection of the polyurethane foam in the tubes causes the more regular deformation mode, comparing with the empty tubes. Finally, experimental results of the present work are compared with some of the previous articles that were investigated the foam-filled composite structures under the different loadings to suggest an optimized energy absorber.