Galvanic Corrosion and Mechanical Behavior of Fiber Metal Laminates of Metallic Glass and Carbon Fiber Composites

Abstract

The possibility of galvanic corrosion typically prohibits the pairing of carbon fiber and aluminum in a fiber metal laminate (FML). In this study, the authors describe a new type of FML comprised of alternating layers of bulk metallic glass (BMG) and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite. The authors compare the galvanic coupling and mechanical behavior of an Al‐based FML and a BMG‐CFRP FML. Results show that when paired with CFRPs, BMG exhibits far less galvanic corrosion than aluminum paired with CFRP. In fact, the corrosion between BMG and CFRP is similar in magnitude to the corrosion between aluminum and glass fiber, the two constituent materials of GLARE, the most widely used FML. While interlaminar shear strength and flexural strength are similar for both FML types, the tensile strength and modulus of BMG‐based FMLs are greater than those of Al‐based FMLs.