Dynamic response of single curved fiber-metal hybrid lamina composites subject to low-velocity impact

Abstract

Fiber-metal hybrid lamina composites (FM-HLCs) are a new kind of fiber-metal composites, which aims at addressing the metal-composite interface failure in conventional fiber-metal laminates. In the current study, the low-velocity impact tests were conducted to examine the dynamic response of single curved FM-HLCs. The influence of weave pattern of fiber-metal hybrid lamina, impact velocity and radius of curvature on the dynamic response is considered in the experiment. The deformation/failure modes, force-time histories and energy absorption were obtained. The high-speed cameras were used to capture the deformation/failure processes of FM-HLCs and the instantaneous images for digital image correlation analysis. The results indicate that the “fiber-metal hybrid lamina” strategy can efficiently help maintain the integrity of FM-HLCs outside the impact region. The increase of fiber content can efficiently decrease the deformation/failure region and permanent deflection of FM-HLCs, thus, enhancing its impact resistance. When the fiber content along circumferential and longitudinal directions is not consistent or the radius of curvature decreases, there forms an elliptical deformation region of FM-HLCs. The current work is expected to be of significance for the follow-up research and the potential applications of FM-HLCs. In addition, it is also a good reference for investigating the dynamic response of orthotropic panels/shells under low-velocity impact.