Homogenization of fiber metal laminate structures characterized by orthotropic and elastic-plastic material models

Tomasz Nowak

ABB Corporate Research Center, Starowiślna 13A Street, 31-138 Krakow, Poland.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7494/cmms.2015.1.0518

Abstract:

This paper gives a theoretical background and provides numerical calculations for the non-linear mechanical behavior of the panel structures consisting of fiber reinforced composite and aluminum laminates. Such structures offer high performance-to-weight ratio, therefore they are widely used in aerospace, subsea and high-pressure applications. The Classical Lamination Theory with orthotropic material properties is recalled and extended about elastic-plastic model for metal layers. The simplified stress-strain relation, as proposed by Hencky and Ilyushin, was applied to capture the influence of metal’s plasticity on the mechanical performance of the hybrid structure. The numerical example showed, that at higher loads, the composite reinforcement provides a strong support for the aluminum layers when the metal approaches plastic deformation. In case of plastic flow within the aluminum, the bigger percentage of the external load is safely transferred to the composite fibers having much higher elastic limit. It prevents deformations of the aluminum laminate from being too large, and ensures the reliable operation of the Fiber Metal Laminates (FML) structure. Since the aluminum layers do not exhibit extensive strains, the application of Hencky-Ilyushin deformation theory seems to be reasonable for FMLs, even if aluminum layers are subjected to the anisotropic plastic flow. The proposed calculation method allows for very fast, but yet accurate, optimization of the Fiber Metal Laminate designs.

Cite as:

Nowak, T. (2015). Homogenization of fiber metal laminate structures characterized by orthotropic and elastic-plastic material models. Computer Methods in Materials Science, 15(1), 169-175. https://doi.org/10.7494/cmms.2015.1.0518

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