Understanding the behaviour of fibre metal laminates subjected to localised blast loading

This paper examines the behaviour of fibre metal laminates (FML’s) subjected to localised explosive blast loading. Experiments are conducted on samples of varying thickness and material distribution. Plastic deformation, debonding, delamination, fibre fracture and matrix cracking have all been identified as energy absorption mechanisms. Widespread debonding is particularly evident between layers. Comparison between different plates of similar overall thickness shows no significant improvement in blast performance with increasing number of distinct material layers. This suggests that debonding does not absorb a significant proportion of the blast energy.