ABSTRACT
In this chapter are reported the small scale modelling of fracture mechanisms and the large scale deformation of fibre-reinforced composite materials when circular thin-walled tubes are subjected to axial collapse [75, 82, 91, 99] and bending [62, 100, 101]. The effect of composite material properties and the tube geometry on the crashworthy characteristics of the tubular structural components is investigated with the aim in mind of the cost-effective design of structural elements in vehicles. A theoretical analysis of the failure mechanism of the stable mode of collapse, based on experimental observations and taking into account all possible energy absorbing mechanisms developed during the process, is also reported. Crushing loads and the energy absorbed are theoretically predicted. The proposed theoretical model was experimentally verified for various composite materials and tube geometries and proved to be very efficient for theoretically predicting the energy absorbing capacity of the shell.
