Comparative study of the quasi-static energy absorption of small-scale composite tubes with different geometrical shapes for use in sacrificial cladding structures

This paper focuses on the quasi-static crushing characteristics and the corresponding energy absorption of nine different shapes of small-scale composite tubes. The idea is to choose suitable cross sections and geometrical shapes of the composite tubes which can yield progressive deformation and higher energy absorption; the finalized geometrical shapes will be studied further for the inner core of a sacrificial cladding structure against blast loading. All the composite tubes have been manufactured by a hand lay-up technique using E-glass fabric and polyester resin. Quasi-static axial crushing tests have been conducted to understand the deformation patterns and the corresponding load-deformation characteristics of each composite tube. The effect of dimensions (thickness to diameter ratio) on the specific energy absorption of each composite tube was studied. Finally, the quasi-static test parameters such as the peak crush load, mean crush load and the specific energy absorption of all these composite tubes were compared. From this unique study, it was found that the specific energy absorption of special geometrical shapes (hourglass type - A, hourglass type - B, conical circular type - X and conical circular type - Y) of the composite tubes is significantly higher than that of the standard and uniform profiles such as the square and the hexagonal cross sections.