Modeling the influence of fiber undulation in a filament-wound composite tube under radial crushing load

Abstract

This study investigates a filament-wound tube model incorporating fiber undulation from the filament winding process. The model was analyzed using the finite element method in the linear regime, then compared with the shell model and radial crushing experiment. Results showed that the solid model predicts the radial compression stiffness with a higher level of accuracy than the shell model due to the inclusion of the fiber undulation feature. This model is a first step towards the development of a composite pressure vessel model where fiber undulation is more frequent, and also for predicting failure initiation and damage propagation.