The High Velocity Impact Response of Novel Fiber Metal Laminates

The impact resistance of a range of novel fiber metal laminates based on polypropylene, polyamide and polyetherimide matrices has been investigated. Initial attention focused on optimizing the interface between the composite and aluminum alloy constituents. Here, it was shown that composite-metal adhesion was excellent in all systems examined. In addition, tests at crosshead displacement rates up to 3 m/s indicated that the interfacial fracture energies remained high under dynamic loading conditions. High velocity impact tests on a series of 3/2 laminates (3 layers of aluminum/2 layers of composite) highlighted the outstanding impact resistance of a number of these systems. The glass fiber reinforced polypropylene system offered a particularly high impact resistance exhibiting a perforation energy of approximately 160 Joules. Here, failure mechanisms such as extensive plastic drawing in the aluminum layers and fiber fracture in the composite plies were found to contribute to the excellent energy-absorbing characteristics of these systems.