Crushing responses of carbon/glass hybrid composite tubes under dynamic compressive loads

Abstract In this study, the axial crushing response and energy‐absorbing mechanisms of circular composite tubes, which were reinforced by carbon fiber (C10) and carbon/glass hybrids (C3G4C3), were investigated experimentally and numerically. Both samples exhibited similar crushing responses comprising delamination and intralayer shear failure. The impact kinetic energy is primarily converted into frictional and composite damage energies. C3G4C3 had poorer crashworthiness with a mean crushing force and specific energy absorption of 313.3 kN and 58.0 kJ/kg, which are by 39.3% and 30.8% less, respectively, than those of C10. The influence of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) content (hybrid ratio) and stacking sequence on tubal crashworthiness was investigated numerically. For composite tubes with a hybrid ratio of 40%, the central distribution of GFRP (C3G4C3) achieved optimal energy absorption performance. Additionally, when GFRP layers were centralized stacked, a reduction of the hybrid ratio from 60% (G3C4G3) to 20% (GC8G) helped improve the crashworthiness of the hybrid tubes, where the mean crushing force increased by 23%. Highlights Impact responses of composite tubes reinforced by carbon fiber and carbon/glass hybrids were investigated experimentally and numerically. Carbon/glass hybrid tubes exhibited lower crashworthiness. The effects of stacking sequence and hybrid ratio on the energy absorption performance were studied.