Crushing performance and energy absorption characteristics of aluminum/CFRP hybrid thin-walled tubes: Experimental and numerical investigations

This paper presents both experimental and numerical studies with the main purpose of exploring the crushing behavior of aluminum/CFRP hybrid thin-walled tubes under compression conditions. In particular, aluminum/CFRP tubes with 8, 10, and 12 layers of composites are considered, and the energy absorption characteristics are examined by quasi-static crushing experiments. An explicit finite element (FE) model is developed to investigate the axial crushing response and damage behavior of aluminum/CFRP tubes. Following validation against the experimental data, the developed FE model is applied to analyze the effects of number of layers and loading angles on the failure mechanism and energy absorption indexes of different tube configurations. The obtained results provide valuable insights into a practical energy absorption solution for aluminum/CFRP tubes subjected to crushing conditions, thereby contributing to the long-term development of the related industry. • The axial crushing response of aluminum/CFRP tube is explored comprehensively. • A FE model is proposed to study the axial crushing damage behavior of hybrid tubes. • Effects of layer number and load angle on crushing behavior are analyzed in detail. • The FE modeling framework offers proper reference for related crushing problems.