Impact Resistance Study of Fiber-Metal Hybrid Composite Laminate Structures: Experiment and Simulation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Composite Materials

Background:

• Thermoplastic carbon fiber/aluminum alloy hybrid laminates combine the benefits of fiber composites and metals.
• These hybrid materials offer high fatigue and impact resistance.
• Applications span national defense, aerospace, automotive, and marine engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and evaluate thermoplastic carbon fiber/aluminum alloy hybrid composite laminates.
• To compare the energy absorption performance of laminates with varying ply thicknesses and layup configurations.
• To analyze failure mechanisms under high-velocity impact.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of laminates using a hot-press machine.
• High-velocity impact testing with a light gas gun system.
• Analysis using high-speed cameras and finite element analysis (FEA) software.

Main Results:

• Fiber-metal laminates demonstrated higher specific energy absorption than carbon fiber composites.
• Experimental and FEA results showed good agreement for velocity-time data and failure modes.
• Different ply thicknesses and layup configurations influenced energy absorption performance.

Conclusions:

• Thermoplastic carbon fiber/aluminum alloy hybrid laminates are effective for impact resistance.
• FEA is a reliable tool for predicting the impact behavior of these laminates.
• Optimizing laminate design can enhance energy absorption capabilities for demanding applications.