Effect of tube geometry and ply-angle on energy absorption of a circular glass/epoxy crush tube – A numerical study

The superior specific energy absorption characteristics of long fiber composite structures as compared to aluminum and steel are well established. Due to cost and time involved in testing of composites, it is imperative to develop numerical solution of the crushing phenomenon. The work presented here reports work to better understand the energy absorption characteristics of glass–fiber circular crush tubes. The effect of tube diameter and ply orientation on the energy absorption has been extensively investigated. Numerical results are compared with experiments performed elsewhere and the correlation between the two is encouraging.