Experimental Investigation of Composite Sandwich Square Tubes under Quasi-Static and Dynamic Axial Crushing

In this study, the crush behaviors of square sandwich composite tubes with woven fabric carbon/epoxy skins and aluminum honeycomb cores with the different honeycomb cell sizes and tube sizes were evaluated. For the evaluation, four different kinds of tubes were fabricated and crushed under quasi-static and dynamic impact loads. The impact tests were carried out using heavy wagons. From the test results, the crushing mode under the dynamic load was changed into more stable collapse than the corresponding static tests. Additionally, the increased bond strength between the honeycomb core and the composite face leaded to a higher energy absorption capability. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011