The effect of an elastomer interlayer thickness variation on the mechanical properties of Fiber-Metal-Laminates

Abstract Fiber-Metal-Laminates with elastomer interlayers (FMEL) consisting of CFRP and Al 2024-T3 were manufactured with standard and thin elastomer interlayers to evaluate the mechanical properties of the FMELs. The elastomer layer thickness reduction was necessary to increase lightweight potential of the laminate. The layer thickness was reduced using a new process step. The thin elastomer layers were obtained using a solvent and deposited on the aluminum core layer before manufacturing the laminate. The effects of the additional manufacturing step and the thickness variation on the mechanical properties of the laminate were examined focusing on interfacial and flexural behavior . The FMEL were compared to FML to determine the impact of the elastomer interlayer. The FMEL with thin elastomer interlayers exhibited a higher flexural stiffness but lower strain to failure than the FMEL accounting for the lower deformation in the thinner elastomer layer. The interfacial properties showed a satisfactory quality after the solution step, which was presented by identical interfacial shear strength compared to the FMEL. The FMEL with thin elastomer interlayers could be manufactured through a solution step and the mechanical properties led to the desired results.