Investigation on the effect of configuration on tensile and flexural properties of aluminum/self-reinforced polypropylene fiber metal laminates

Abstract

Tensile and flexural properties of aluminum/self-reinforced polypropylene fiber metal laminates (Al/SRPP FMLs) based on 2/1 and 3/2 configurations are investigated in this paper. The Al/SRPP FMLs based on 2/1 configuration exhibit better performance than the Al/SRPP FMLs based on 3/2 configuration in terms of tensile and flexural properties. The metal volume fraction plays an important role in the tensile strength and flexural strength in both Al/SRPP-2/1 FMLs and Al/SRPP-3/2 FMLs. The tensile stress–strain curves of Al/SRPP-2/1FMLs and Al/SRPP-3/2FMLs decline while the ductility of both FMLs enhances as the temperature increases. The elevated temperature intensifies the delamination of the Al/SRPP FMLs, especially for Al/SRPP-3/2FMLs because of possible more manufacture defects. The outer metal cracking and inter-laminar delamination are the main tensile failure mechanisms. However, delamination at the metal/composite interface and breakage of the constituent materials does not occur after the flexural tests.