Influence of Metal Layers on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon‐Fiber Epoxy Laminates: An Experimental Investigation

ABSTRACT Fiber metal laminates are an advanced sandwich composite material used in aerospace and defense applications. It consists of a thin layer of metal sheets on the face and between them, fiber‐reinforced adhesive. In this research work, AA‐1100‐H14 and unidirectional carbon fibers have been used to prepare fiber metal laminates. The matrix material is LY‐556 epoxy resin and HY‐951 hardener. To investigate the surface and internal damage, FMLs with varying metal volume fractions and the thickness of carbon fiber/epoxy laminates were examined. The tensile, flexural, Charpy impact, and springback characteristics of FML have been studied, and a comparison has been made with carbon fiber‐reinforced epoxy composite laminates. The 3/2 FML response with maximum tensile strength and composite gives maximum tensile modulus. At the same time, the carbon fiber/epoxy composite gives maximum flexural strength and modulus. Analysis was executed by measuring the energy absorbed by the Charpy impact test on standard ASTM notched specimens. Even though they were thicker, carbon fiber‐reinforced epoxy composite laminates failed catastrophically because they absorbed less impact energy than FMLs. The findings demonstrated a notable rise in the absorbed impact energy corresponding to the metal volume fraction. The spring‐back angle reduces as the FML and composite thickness increase. The springback angle increases as the bending angle changes.