Dynamics characteristics and energy absorption of fibre-metal-laminate (FML) thin-walled tubes

Abstract

Fibre-metal-laminate (FML) hybrid material has an enormous potential to replace metallic materials in vehicle structural applications. In this study the dynamic response and energy absorption capability of FML thin-walled tube were investigated via parametric study using finite element models. The models were validated by comparing their numerical analysis results with experimental results. The FML tubes were configured as a 2/1 alternating layer(s) of aluminium alloy and glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) composite. The results of the parametric study suggest that increasing the aluminium thickness has more profound effect on the energy absorption performance of the FML tube under axial compression compared to increasing the composite thickness. Another important finding is that sandwiching the composite layer with metal layers prevents catastrophic failure of the composite tube while promoting progressive collapse of the FML tube. These findings show the prospect of the FML tube as impact energy absorber for land transport vehicles.