The influence of the Transition Zone on the structural behavior of pin connected areas in local metal reinforced composites

Abstract

Fibre Metal Laminates (FML) are hybrid composites, with the attempt to combine the advantages of metals and fibre reinforced plastics. Their promising properties are used locally in joining areas to reduce the structural weight. As the metal foils density, in this case a steel alloy is much higher than the density of carbon plies, its amount should be kept minimal. Hence, the replacement of the laminas is done gradually creating a so called Transition Zone (TZ). In this research, the focus is given to the influence of the TZ on the structural behavior in pin connected FMLs. In the investigation two dierent designs of TZ and two different starting positions of TZ (closer and further from the pin) are considered. First their effect on the laminates behavior is investigated with static bearing tests accompanied by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) measurement, followed by a Finite Element Analysis for an in-depth look at the laminas behavior. Later includes the implementation of the Cuntze failure criterion for damage prediction. The studies revealed that the distance between load introduction and start of the TZ can be very short without affecting the load carrying capacity.