Finite element modeling of the quasi-static axial crushing of braided composite tubes

Braided composite tubular structures are being considered as a new type of energy absorbing components to improve vehicle crashworthiness. Unfortunately, there are many difficulties in modeling the crush response of braided composite tubes. In this study, a progressive failure model for braided composite materials, which had been developed as a user material model in ABAQUS/Explicit, was used to simulate the quasi-static axial crushing process of braided composite tubes. The simulation results were verified with the quasi-static axial crushing tests. The failure mode and energy absorbing property showed a good agreement with the test results. This calculating method is very useful for us to solve the similar problems associated with the advanced composite materials.