Impact Performance of Cement Composite Filled Pipe-In-Pipe Structures

Abstract

This study investigates the impact behavior of cement composite filled pipe-in-pipe structures through drop weight impact tests and numerical analyses. The composite pipes experience global deformations and local indentations under the transverse impact. Based on a combined experimental and numerical investigation, this study proposes a two-stage approach to estimate the load-indentation relationship for sandwich composite pipes. By integrating the load-indentation relationship into the dynamic deformation response of the composite pipes, the study develops a theoretical method to provide fast and reliable estimations on the impact response for the composite pipes. Compared to the hollow steel pipe, the pipe-in-pipe composite structure demonstrates a superior impact performance. The outer pipe and its thickness determine directly the impact resistance and the global deformation of the composite pipe. The cement composite layer restricts effectively the development of the local indentation. The presence of the inner pipe enhances the confinement to the cement composite.