Experimental and theoretical study on residual ultimate strength after impact of CF/PEEK-titanium hybrid laminates with nano-interfacial enhancement

Fiber metal laminates (FMLs) provide a reliable approach for achieving lightweight in high-speed aerospace vehicles. However, the weak interfacial properties between metals and composites could significantly affect the deformation and failure modes of FMLs. In this paper, the low-velocity impact responses and damage mechanisms of CF/PEEK-Ti hybrid laminates with nano-interfacial enhancement by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were characterized and analyzed. The post-impact residual tensile strengths (RTS) were investigated experimentally using quasi-static uniaxial tests combined with digital image correlation, and were evaluated theoretically by developing an analytical prediction model that considers the internal thermal stress and dent geometry. Results show that the initial delamination thresholds of force and displacement during impact can be effectively increased via interfacial enhancement of CNT network. By using a 5% decrease in RTS retention rate as a criterion for damage tolerance, a significant strength decrease starts to appear at 3 J for the sandblasted-only laminates, which is improved to 10 J for the laminates with nano-interfacial enhancement. The proposed unified constitutive model can yield an acceptable prediction for RTS and failure strain of the hybrid laminate after impact, providing a guidance for the structural design and engineering applications of FMLs.