Indentation and puncture response characteristics of flax fibre-reinforced polymer pipes

Flax fibre-reinforced polymer (FFRP) was utilised to manufacture ninety-nine pipes having variations in thickness and diameter, with all pipes having a constant length-to-diameter ratio of 6:1. Indentation and puncture experiments were performed on the FFRP pipes using conical nose, hemispherical nose, and wedge nose indenters to establish the effect of diameter, thickness, and indenter nose shape on the stiffness, puncture load, deformation, and failure mechanism of the pipes. FFRP pipes showed comparable stiffness and puncture load but a smaller area of pipe damage when compared to glass fibre-reinforced polymer pipes. The experimental results obtained were compared to the analytical expressions available in the literature for steel pipes subjected to puncture load, and close correlation was found between the experimental and predicted results. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd