Effect of adhesive quantity on failure behavior and mechanical properties of fiber metal laminates based on the aluminum-lithium alloy

The effect of adhesive quantity on the failure behavior and mechanical properties of fiber metal laminates based on the aluminum-lithium alloys (NFMLs) was investigated to optimize the manufacture process and further recognize the interface interaction. The NFMLs with different adhesive quantities (0 g/m2, 20 g/m2, 40 g/m2, 60 g/m2) were prepared primarily. Then, the influence of adhesive quantity on the interlaminar, tensile, flexural and fatigue properties of NFMLs was studied respectively. Also, the failure behaviors of NFMLs under different loading conditions were revealed. The results indicated that the adhesive layers significantly enhanced the interlaminar properties of the NFMLs within the investigated quantities. Moreover, the reasonable adhesive quantity also greatly improved the mechanical properties of the laminates, while an excessive amount deteriorated the performance. For the different properties, the peak values appeared under different adhesive quantities. Besides, the changing mechanical properties followed with the variation of failure mode. From the engineering perspective, the adhesive quantity of 40 g/m2 is optimal to achieve the excellent performance of NFMLs.