CFRP strengthening of steel tubes for impact energy absorption

M. R. Bambach, M. Elchalakani, H. H. Jama

    Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference presentation/ephemerapeer-review

    Abstract

    Composite steel-CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) tubes combine the benefits of the stable, ductile plastic collapse mechanism of the steel and the high strength to weight ratio of the fibre/resin composite, to form a composite tube with high energy absorption capability. This paper presents experimental results of square hollow section (SHS) composite steel-CFRP tubes subjected to axial impact. A number of different steel SHS geometries and two different matrix layouts of the CFRP are investigated. The dynamic results are compared with quasi-static results of composite steel-CFRP SHS and dynamic results of steel SHS and CFRP SHS. It is shown that the crashworthiness properties of load uniformity and specific energy absorption of the composite steel-CFRP tubes exceed those of the steel-only and CFRP-only tubes. An additional advantage of the CFRP application technique is that the CFRP may be retro-fitted to existing steel tubes, and the energy absorption capacity is shown to be markedly improved by such application.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages161-168
    Number of pages8
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2009
    Event8th International Conference on Shock and Impact Loads on Structures - Adelaide, Australia
    Duration: 2 Dec 20094 Dec 2009

    Conference

    Conference8th International Conference on Shock and Impact Loads on Structures
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    CityAdelaide
    Period2/12/094/12/09

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