Blunt notch strength of hybrid boron/glass/aluminum fiber metal laminates

The notch strength of high modulus hybrid fiber/metal laminates (FMLs) was investigated. The composite layers used in this material, which contain both boron fibers and S2-glass fibers, were adhesively bonded to 2024-T3 aluminum sheets and consolidated using an autoclave process. The results of tensile tests clearly showed that high modulus FMLs with a good ductility can be achieved by mingling of boron and glass fibers. The effects of notch sizes and constituents on the failure behavior were determined. The experiments showed that the notched hybrid FMLs exhibited excellent strength retaining characteristics even with the presence of large notches. Microscopy, X-ray radiography and chemical removal technique were used to examine the fracture characteristics of hybrid FMLs. A finite element analysis (FEA) model was established to analyze the notch behavior of hybrid FMLs. Experimental results of the blunt-notch strength are in good agreement with the stresses calculated by computational modeling of hybrid FMLs.

Research highlights▶ The use of boron fibers increases the modulus and yielding stress of FMLs. ▶ High modulus and high ductility FMLs are achieved by mingling boron and glass fibers. ▶ The notched hybrid FMLs also exhibit excellent strength retaining ability. ▶ Finite element analysis was used to simulate the notch behavior of hybrid FMLs.