Manufacture and Test of FML Plates with Elliptical Cutouts under In-plane Loading

In the present study, the manufacture and test of Fiber Metal Laminates (FML) with Elliptical cutouts are considered. Fiber Metal Laminates are types of materials which are consist of combination of metal sheets, especially aluminum ones, with fiber reinforced epoxy layers. At first, Lay-up method for manufacturing these plates is performed and then mechanical properties of FML have been investigated by standard tensile tests. The experimental technique, using the strain gauges for measuring amount of strain near the cutout, is investigated, and according to the mechanical properties, stress distribution is determined. Finite element analysis, using ABAQUS commercial software, is also applied for determining stress distributions, as a second method. In experiment, two types of elliptical cutout is considered, which in the first one major diameter is aligned in load line and in the second minor diameter is aligned in load line. Finally, experimental and finite element results are compared.

Keywords:

Composite Lay-up , Finite element analysis , Stress analysis , Fiber Metal Laminate