Mesoscopic hybrid design and crashworthiness properties of thin-walled energy-absorbing tubes

With the increasing issues of traffic accidents and energy security, lightweight thin-walled energy-absorbing structures have emerged as a crucial subject in the field of collision protection. In this research, a novel design for thin-walled mesoscopic hybrid tubes with composite/metal interleaved layers was proposed, considering the mechanical characteristics of metal and composite materials. A series of hybrid samples were fabricated through a non-uniform winding method. The quasi-static and dynamic mechanical responses were tested through axial compression and drop-weight impact experiments. Various crashworthiness indices were utilized to quantitatively analyze the mechanical performances. The results demonstrate that the composite/metal mesoscopic hybrid design effectively enhances the specific energy absorption and reduces the load fluctuation. In the quasi-static loading state, the carbon fiber/aluminum hybrid tubes show an increase in specific energy absorption by approximately 54.3% compared with the aluminum and an energy efficiency improvement to 0.8. In the dynamic impact state, the glass fiber/aluminum hybrid tubes maintain the same failure modes with quasi-static. The specific energy absorption increases by approximately 24.7% and the energy efficiency maintains at 0.44. This research validates the application potential of composite/metal mesoscopic hybrid design in the field of collision protection, providing new insights and reference examples for the lightweight thin-walled energy-absorbing structures.