Elastic response of water-filled fiber composite tubes under shock wave loading

We experimentally and numerically investigate the response of fluid-filled filament-wound composite tubes subjected to axial shock wave loading in water. Our study focuses on the fluid–structure interaction occurring when the shock wave in the fluid propagates parallel to the axis of the tube, creating pressure waves in the fluid coupled to flexural waves in the shell. The in-house-developed computational scheme couples an Eulerian fluid solver with a Lagrangian shell solver, which includes a new and simple material model to capture the response of fiber composites in finite kinematics. In the experiments and simulations we examine tubes with fiber winding angles equal to 45° and 60°, and we measure the precursor and primary wave speeds, hoop and longitudinal strains, and pressure. The experimental and computational results are in agreement, showing the validity of the computational scheme in complex fluid–structure interaction problems involving fiber composite materials subjected to shock waves. The analyses of the measured quantities show the strong coupling of axial and hoop deformations and the significant effect of fiber winding angle on the composite tube response, which differs substantially from that of a metal tube in the same configuration.

► We study fluid–structure interaction in fiber composite tubes under shock loading.
► We build an experimental apparatus and we test tubes with two winding angles.
► The developed fluid-shell solver agrees well with the experimental results.
► The fiber winding angle has a strong effect on the tube response to shock loading.
► Axial and hoop strains are strongly coupled in composite, but not metal, tubes.