Failure characteristics of composite metallic foam core hat-shaped tubular T-joints under static and impact loading.

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the failure characteristics of single hat-shaped thin-walled tubular T-joints made of hybrid materials (i.e. CFRP shell, aluminum plate and polyurethane foam-core) under static and impact loading. Novel design and manufacturing methods for single hat-shaped CFRP–aluminum tubular T-joints with and without in-filled foam are presented. Static and impact tests of the prepared T-joints subjected to an out-of-plane loading are conducted. The test results reveal that the polyurethane foam core plays a notable role in increasing the peak load, its associated displacement, and energy absorption. Different failure mechanisms for all the T-joints are identified. Novel integrated finite element analyzes incorporating viable material models, including failure criteria and damage initiation and evolution models, are presented and validated with the both static and impact test results of the T-joints. • Novel fabrication method for hybrid hat-shaped tubular T-joints using bonding and riveting. • Unveil failure modes, dynamic responses and crashworthiness features of the T-joints. • Identify the mechanism of foam core in enhancing dynamic responses of the T-joints. • Effective simulation method for capturing key static and dynamic responses via validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]