Quasi-static axial crushing experiment study of foam-filled CFRP and aluminum alloy thin-walled structures

Abstract

Thin-walled aluminum alloy (Al alloy) structure, carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) tube, aluminum foam (Al foam) and polyurethane foam (PU foam) all can be used as good energy absorbers in automobile, aviation and other industries for their light weight and high energy absorption capacity. In order to clarify the advantages of the design modes, this article studies the crushing behaviors of circular, hexagonal and square CFRP and Al alloy tapered tube and their foam-filled structures subjected to quasi-static axial compression, analyzes and compares the collapse modes and force–displacement curves of these investigated structures as well as calculates the energy absorption (EA) and the specific energy absorption (SEA) of these investigated structures. Experimental results show that the CFRP tapered tubes have higher SEA than that of the Al-alloy tapered tubes and the circular CFRP tubes filled with PU foam have better energy absorption capacity than that of the square and hexagonal structures. In addition, the SEA of the CFRP tube filled with PU foam is 30% higher than that of the Al alloy tube filled with Al foam. Therefore this article leads to a conclusion that PU foam-filled CFRP tapered tube is a potential structure for energy absorber and light weight design.