Experimental investigation on the crushing properties of carbon fibre braided composite tubes

Braided textile fabric reinforcements are popularly used in manufacturing composite tubes due to the near-net-shape of the final tubular preform. Their Fabrication technique is highly automated offering good balance in architecture and reduced manufacturing costs. In the study presented herein, a highly automated production with a pultrusion machine at the end is used in the fabrication of braided composite tubes. This production method substantially reduces the manufacturing cost, while constantly maintaining the quality of the product and superior surface finish. The achieved efficiency coupled with many inherently advantages such as good general mechanical properties, good off-axis properties and good impact behaviour makes braided composites to be prime candidates for load bearing structures that require high energy absorption capability. Results presented in this study indeed show compressed braided composite tubes to posses this high capability of absorbing large quantity of energy as a function of the fibre orientation angle. The work done thereof is governed by a number of distinct failure mechanisms that are classified through a step-by-step analysis of the failure zone by using micrographs.