Experimental assessment of the stacking sequence/fiber angle combined effect on the energy absorption of GFRP composite structures

Abstract

In this work, the effect of the stacking sequence and fiber orientation on the specific energy absorption (SEA) of glass fiber-reinforced composite tubes was evaluated through parametric experimental tests. The load-displacement curves were experimentally obtained by compression, and the data were analyzed to understand the material behavior under compression properly, identifying three key phases: (1) peak crushing load, (2) instability region, and (3) progressive collapse. The experimental results showed that the highest SEA was 794.80 mJ/g, which is 28% higher compared to the reference $A_0$ composite tube. On the other hand, the lowest SEA was 387.93 mJ/g, with a 63% difference compared to $A_0$ . It was concluded that both stacking sequence and fiber orientation significantly affect SEA, as their arrangement is critical to the performance of the tubular structure. Additionally, an empirical model was developed using multiple regression analysis of experimental data from 10 different composite tube configurations, allowing for SEA predictions with an accuracy of 80.07%.