Effect of processing parameters on the fabrication of fiber metal laminates by vacuum infusion process

Abstract

AbstractFiber metal laminates (FMLs) are hybrid structures made of fibrous composite layers that are located between thin metal layers and joined together by resin. In the current fabrication process, FMLs require prepreg and use of an autoclave or press. This will increase the cost of production and limit the size of the piece to the dimensions of the autoclave or press. Hence, there is an interest in finding methods of construction that are affordable and have no dimensional limitations but also does not reduce the quality of the part. Vacuum infusion is a convenient and economical way to provide high‐quality composite components. In this article, the possibility to construct FMLs with this method, as well as the effects of different parameters such as the number of layers, the type of fiber, and the presence of holes in metal layers on the time and quality of parts, is investigated. The fibers used consisted of unidirectional fibers (300 and 600 g/m2), woven, and CFM (300 g/m2). The results show that, increasing the number of fibrous layers, metal sheets or using woven fibers increased the infusion time, and the presence of holes in aluminum layers or using CFM fibers reduced the infusion time. However, the presence of holes in aluminum layers significantly reduces the time of infusion but weakens the mechanical properties of the FMLs. The results of the tensile tests showed that, although the elastic modulus does not change, ultimate strength and fracture strain of the specimen containing holes were 9% and 27% less than the specimen without hole, respectively.