Energy absorption assessment of conical composite structures subjected to quasi-static loading through optimization based method

Abstract

The geometry of a composite frusta-conical structure with 20° apex angle was optimized using topology optimization method. The ATOM topology solver was used to perform optimization process. The structure was subjected to an axial compressive quasi-static loading where the criterion of optimization is the largest absorption of energy per unit volume. The optimization resulted in concave shell geometry with a volume reduction of 15%. To compare the effect of geometry on energy absorption capability, two types of GFRP specimen with different thickness were fabricated using filament winding and hand lay-up methods. The axial crushing test results were validated with numerical analysis using the commercial finite element software ABAQUS. The collapse mode and failure mechanism were investigated and identified. The presented methodology helps to find the better geometry instead of testing different geometries.

Crashworthiness Assessment of Carbon/Glass Epoxy Hybrid Composite Tubes Subjected to Axial Loads

“…The deformed shape of experimental test samples for different aspect ratios is shown in Figure 6 . Pre-buckling, buckling, and post-buckling are the three main stages of progressive collapse that can be observed for all samples under axial compressive loading [ 42 ]. In the pre-buckling stage, the composite tube remains elastic and has no bending.…”

“…To model the combination of different fibres in a single matrix, a macro-mechanical approach considering the overall behaviour of specimens was utilized. To study the damage behaviour of structure, Hashin’s damage model was used to model the failure of tubes under axial loading [ 42 ]. A surface-to-surface contact penalty method with a 0.1 friction coefficient was applied between the tube end and the rigid plates.…”

“…However, through a numerical model, optimization of thin-walled tubes is possible. Some researchers have proposed shape and topology optimization methods to determine an optimum geometry against a specific loading condition [ 42 ]. Moreover, the statistical method was used to apply the design of the experimental method to minimize the number of experiments and find the significant factors in an experimental test or numerical simulation.…”

Lightweight Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite for Automotive Bumper Applications: A Review

“…Kathiresan et al [ 103 ] have reported that decreasing the semi-apical angle in the GFRP conical tube increased the SEA. In another study, Hu et al [ 104 ] studied the influences of fiber orientation on the crushing performance [ 105 ] of GFRP composite and their findings revealed that the fiber orientation did not show any significant effect on the SEA of the circular tube. The shape of GFRP can also influence the SEA.…”

Hybrid and Synthetic FRP Composites under Different Strain Rates: A Review

“…Several studies have developed different analytical models to simulate a low strain rate to a high strain rate range of hybrid composites. Many rate-dependent and rate-independent analytical models were presented for different composite materials [ 89 , 204 ]. Some of these models were developed based on damage and failure of composite contents, i.e., matrix and fibers [ 205 , 206 , 207 , 208 , 209 , 210 , 211 , 212 , 213 , 214 , 215 ].…”