Crashworthiness Design and Analysis of Corrugated CFRP /Al Hybrid Channel Columns

ABSTRACT Sub‐cargo channel columns are critical energy‐absorbing structures in aircraft, but their open‐section geometric characteristics make them prone to unstable failure, limiting energy absorption performance. This study proposed the flange‐fixed and longitudinal corrugated designs for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP)/aluminum (Al) hybrid channel columns (HCCs) based on axial compression experiments and numerical investigations. The effects of key design factors, specifically sinusoidal corrugation amplitudes/wavelengths and gradient corrugations, on the damage behavior and energy absorption performance of CFRP/Al HCCs were investigated. The results showed that the finite element model of hybrid straight channel columns (HSCCs) can accurately simulate the crushing behavior, with force‐displacement curves and failure morphologies aligning closely with experiments. Compared with HSCCs, the flange‐fixed design enhanced the compression stability, and hybrid corrugated channel columns (HCCCs) achieved over 95.90% higher energy absorption and 79.06% greater specific energy absorption. Corrugation amplitudes and wavelengths exhibited a combined influence on HCCC crashworthiness, with amplitude being the dominant factor. Furthermore, compared with HCCCs, hybrid gradient corrugated channel columns (HGCCCs) demonstrated 23.57%–56.31% higher energy absorption and 27.95%–68.84% greater specific energy absorption. These findings provide valuable insights for the crashworthiness design of open‐section thin‐walled channel columns in aircraft sub‐cargo structures.