Experimental investigation on axial quasi-static crushing of Al/PLA hybrid tubes

Abstract Fused Deposition Modeling/3d printed technology, which has developed rapidly, is capable of making complex prototyping and can be used to produce passive safety devices. This paper investigates the interactions between the hybrid tube members and the energy absorption capabilities of Al and PLA tubes, multi-cell PLA structures, and Al/PLA hybrid tubes. For all the specimens, quasi-static axial crushing tests are conducted. The energy absorption capability of the Al/PLA hybrid tube increased by 59% compared to the single-cell Al tube. The EA value of the Al/PLA hybrid tube specimen was greater than the accumulated EA value of the PLA and Al tubes and the PLA multi-cell structures. The increase in EA value due to hybrid tube interaction is 16.36%.