Evaluation of energy absorption of aluminium tube partially wrapped with glass/epoxy using Taguchi Method

Various kinds of thin-walled tubes made from different materials have been
studied by many researchers for energy absorbers in vehicle structures. Most of the
studies were based on metallic or fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes. Only a few
studies were carried out on hybrid tubes. A hybrid tube has more energy absorption
capability as compared to metal or composite tube. However, the specific energy
absorption capability of the hybrid tube to achieve good efficiency has not been
investigated in detail. The aim of this study was to focus on the partial wrapping of
the light-weight thin-walled aluminium tube with glass/epoxy, which is very
significant to enhance the safety of automobiles. Partially wrapped aluminium tube
samples have been prepared according to the L9 Taguchi design orthogonal array, by
applying various fiber orientations, composite layers and partially wrapped area via
filament winding process. Failure modes and specific energy absorption and crush
force efficiency of partially wrapped aluminium tube samples have been studied
under quasi-static loading. The study revealed that the optimum combination of fiber
orientation, composite layers, and the partially wrapped area was ±55◦, 6, and 30%
respectively. This combination was achieved via the analysis of variance (ANOVA),
and the main plot effect analysis. Moreover, this combination also has 81.92%, and
62.08% higher values of specific energy absorption (SEA), and 47.67% and 1.54%
more values of crush force efficiency (CFE) as compared to the simple aluminium
tube and its predecessor the steel tube, respectively. The results show the two-lobe
diamond failure mode of this combination (±55◦, 6, and 30%). The findings
demonstrate the ability of the approach as a reliable and light-weight solution for
energy absorbers with a high value of SEA and CFE.