Crushing behaviour of thin-walled, non-circular, glass fibre-reinforced composite tubular components due to bending

Abstract The crashworthy behaviour of cantilever, thin-walled composite tubes of square and rectangular cross-section during bending has been studied and analysed experimentally, both macro- and microscopically. Investigations concerning the influence of specimen geometry (square or rectangular cross-section), the process conditions (bending over the strong or weak axis of the tube crosssection) and comparison with equivalent circular tubes from the absorption efficiency point of view are also recorded and discussed in detail.