Mechanical Behavior of Single Patch Composite Repaired Al Alloy Plates: Experimental and Numerical Analysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Structural Repair

Background:

• Metallic structures, like aluminum plates, are susceptible to cracking.
• Repairing cracked metallic components is crucial for structural integrity and longevity.
• Glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) offer a lightweight and potentially effective repair solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of GFRP materials in repairing cracked aluminum plates.
• To evaluate the influence of different resin properties and patch configurations on repair performance.
• To validate experimental findings with a finite element model (FEM).

Main Methods:

• Manufacturing six groups of repaired aluminum plate specimens using three resins and two patch configurations.
• Conducting tensile strength tests to assess the repair efficiency.
• Developing and utilizing a finite element model to simulate the failure process under tensile loading.

Main Results:

• GFRP repair achieved a strength recovery ratio exceeding 80% compared to parent plates.
• Minimal differences (less than 3%) in tensile strength were observed among the various GFRP configurations.
• FEM results demonstrated good agreement with experimental data, validating the model's precision.
• Damage initiation occurred in plies adjacent to the crack, with delamination and fiber breakage as primary failure modes.

Conclusions:

• GFRP is a highly efficient material for repairing cracked aluminum plates.
• The choice of resin properties and patch configurations had a limited impact on the overall tensile strength recovery.
• The study provides a validated approach for analyzing GFRP repairs on metallic structures, paving the way for future applications.