The comparison of effects of hygrothermal conditioning on mechanical properties of fibre metal laminates and fibre reinforced polymers

The purpose of this article is to present the effects of elevated temperature and moisture conditioning of Fibre Metal Laminates and conventional Fibre Reinforced Plastics on some mechanical properties of these materials. The study was carried out by long-term conditioning of tested materials at elevated temperature (60 °C) and humidity (99% RH). The equilibrium of moisture absorption for both Fibre Metal Laminates and Fibre Reinforced Plastics was determined. The mechanical properties have been investigated by tensile strength and ILSS tests. The obtained results show that moisture absorption of Fibre Metal Laminates is significantly lower than that of a Fibre Reinforced Polymer composite. After conditioning, the loss of strength properties has been identified. The tensile strength of FMLs decreases by 1-15% and the ILSS decreases by 9-11%, depending on the configuration. The damage analysis revealed.