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Crashworthiness and technoeconomic assessment of bioinspired GFRP PP tubes using experiments numerical modeling and artificial neural networks
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  • Published: 31 March 2026

Crashworthiness and technoeconomic assessment of bioinspired GFRP PP tubes using experiments numerical modeling and artificial neural networks

  • Yucai Tian1,
  • Ping Zhou1,
  • Fatma Ahmed Hassan2,
  • Omar Al-Khatib3,
  • Fuhaid Alshammari4 &
  • …
  • Naser Mazraoui5 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

  • 63 Accesses

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Engineering
  • Mechanical engineering

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive experimental and computational investigation of the quasi-static axial compression behavior of glass fiber-reinforced polymer/ polypropylene (GFRP/PP) sandwich tubes inspired by bamboo and horsetail structures, designed for crashworthiness applications. The combination of these materials, due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, offers excellent energy absorption capabilities. To this end, firstly, single-hollow tubes were investigated numerically and experimentally. After ensuring the accuracy of the numerical results, many numerical sandwich tubes were simulated to investigate the effect of geometric parameters. Then, the numerical results such as peak crushing force (PCF) and specific energy absorption (SEA) were used as input data for learning of multi layers perceptron (MLP) algorithm network. Finally, using genetic algorithm showed the optimal specimen with t = 1.2 mm, h = 80 mm, and 3 GFRP sub-core tubes has the optimal crashworthiness performance. This specimen exhibits the optimal PCF (18.24 kN) and SEA (7.8 J/g) values compared with the other samples. In addition, a techno-economic assessment was conducted using the Net Present Value (NPV) method to determine the long-term financial viability of replacing traditional materials with GFRP/PP. This approach is an essential step in bridging the gap between technical performance and industrial applicability. The results revealed that while GFRP/PP crash tubes offer superior weight-specific energy absorption, their economic competitiveness varies by reference material. Specifically, replacing steel and aluminum crash boxes with GFRP/PP results in positive net present values of $322.49 and $240.27 per vehicle, respectively, highlighting clear financial and environmental benefits.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the correspondingauthor upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2026R869), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Additional support for this research was provided by the UAE University Research Office and the College of Engineering Research Office.

Funding

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2026R869), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Additional support for this research was provided by the UAE University Research Office and the College of Engineering Research Office.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Intelligent Engineering, Chongqing College of Mobile Communication, Chongqing, 401520, China

    Yucai Tian & Ping Zhou

  2. Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia

    Fatma Ahmed Hassan

  3. Architectural Engineering Department, College of Engineering, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

    Omar Al-Khatib

  4. Mechanical Engineering Department, Engineering College, University of Ha’il, 2440, Ha’il, Saudi Arabia

    Fuhaid Alshammari

  5. Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Naser Mazraoui

Authors
  1. Yucai Tian
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  2. Ping Zhou
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  3. Fatma Ahmed Hassan
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  4. Omar Al-Khatib
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  5. Fuhaid Alshammari
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  6. Naser Mazraoui
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Contributions

Y. T: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Writing - review & editing, Visualization.P. Z: Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing - review & editing.F. A H: Conceptualization, Software, Writing - review & editing.O. A K: Supervision, Conceptualization, Software, Writing - review & editing, Visualization.F. A: Writing - review & editing, Visualization.N. M: Supervision, Project administration, Writing - review & editing.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ping Zhou or Omar Al-Khatib.

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Tian, Y., Zhou, P., Hassan, F.A. et al. Crashworthiness and technoeconomic assessment of bioinspired GFRP PP tubes using experiments numerical modeling and artificial neural networks. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40978-6

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  • Received: 08 June 2025

  • Accepted: 17 February 2026

  • Published: 31 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40978-6

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Keywords

  • Sandwich tube
  • Techno-Economic Analysis
  • GFRP
  • Polypropylene
  • Machine learning
  • Genetic algorithm
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