Mechanical behaviour and energy absorption performances of composite foam-filled circular tubes under axial loadings
Structural foams and foam-filled thin-walled structures have good energy absorption properties and widely been used as energy absorbers especially in automotive industries. However, great demands for composite material contribute to potential application of natural fiber and recycled material as...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English English |
| Published: |
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/2117/ http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/2117/1/24p%20S%20KANNA%20SUBRAMANIYAN.pdf http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/2117/2/S%20KANNA%20SUBRAMANIYAN%20COPYRIGHT%20DECLARATION.pdf http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/2117/3/S%20KANNA%20SUBRAMANIYAN%20WATERMARK.pdf |
| Summary: | Structural foams and foam-filled thin-walled structures have good energy
absorption properties and widely been used as energy absorbers especially in
automotive industries. However, great demands for composite material contribute to
potential application of natural fiber and recycled material as foam materials to be
filled into tubes. Therefore, an experimental investigation was performed to study
mechanical properties and energy absorption characteristics of composite polymeric
foam-filled circular tubes under quasi-static and dynamic axial loading conditions.
The foam-filled thin-walled circular tube was fabricated with high strength steel as
its shell and polyurethane (PU) foam as its core. The PU foam was processed with an
incorporation of kenaf fiber and recycled rubber particles at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10%
composition, respectively. The PU foam was produced based on three different fixed
densities such as 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 gcm-3
. Foam compression test results indicated that
composite foams with 6% filler content exhibit better mechanical properties than
polyurethane foam itself. Overall, the compression strength and compression
modulus was improved at 14.2% and 23.6%. Thereafter, the utilization of composite
foam as filler for circular tubes has enhanced energy absorption performance of the
tubes. The energy absorption capacity of composite foam-filled circular tube is
higher than that of polyurethane foam-filled tubes. The crush characteristic of PU
composite foam-filled tubes follows the favorable progressive collapse modes.
Overall, results of the research indicate that PU composite foam with optimum 6%
filler content effectively increases the foam mechanical behavior and its function as
filler for tubes provides better energy absorption capacity under axial crushing
events. |
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