FLAx REinforced Aluminium (FLARE): A bio-based Fibre Metal Laminate alternative combining impact resistance and vibration damping

Fibre metal laminates (FML) were initially conceived as a hybrid material, aiming to create synergy between the impact resistance of metals and excellent fatigue resistance of fibre reinforced polymers. The purpose of this approach was to overcome the limitations of single-material structures. However, despite its considerable promise, the use...

Optimisation of Fibre Metal Laminate Splice Designs with Focus on Fatigue Performance: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) have been widely utilised in aircraft structures for their specific strength, durability and damage tolerance. Most aircraft structures, due to their size, require joining, and FMLs allow for a special type of joint called the splice, a unique but a lesser known joint.<br/><br/>The bulk of research into the splice...

A methodology to predict the static strength of bolted joints in Fibre Metal Laminates

Joining structural components in aircraft is generally performed through mechanical fastening. The interaction of bearing and bypass stresses in composite bolted joints causes a reduction in the static strength of the joint. The bearing-bypass diagram determines the bearing and net-section failure modes. This thesis work aims to provide a design...

Prediction of Fatigue Crack Growth and Damage Directionality in Non-Conventional Fibre Metal Laminates

This thesis presents a model that is able to predict fatigue crack growth and damage directionality in non-conventional Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) in CentreCracked Tension (CCT) specimens. Non-conventional FMLs encompass all FMLs other than standardised ones such as GLARE. FMLs can be made non-conventional by using multiple fibre types, any...

Towards the Certification of Bonded Primary Fiber Metal Laminate Structures by Bolted Disbond Arrest Features

A new certification approach for bonded primary Fiber Metal Laminate (FML) structures is investigated: using bolts as Disbond Arrest Features (DAF)s to contain the growth of bond line damages so that they can be found and repaired by inspection before becoming critical. By fatigue testing with coupon specimens and model analysis, it has been...

Methodology for Bearing-Bypass Testing in Fibre Metal Laminates

Bearing-bypass behaviour for composites is different than for metals and therefore this behaviour needs to be re-evaluated. This thesis work aims to provide an initial test set-up to map the bearing- and bypass behaviour in Fibre Metal Laminate mechanical joints, to develop a simple method which can be used by engineers for joint design. This...

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

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...

Disbond arrest in fibre metal laminates

In the development of materials used for constructing aircraft, progress has been made in the production, certification and implementation of materials such as Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and Glass Laminate Aluminium Reinforced Epoxy (GLARE). The state-of-the-art in joining techniques however, has not changed much: fastening is still...

Friction Stir Welding effects of defects in Glare

Splicing technology is used to create fuselage panels due to the maximum width of the aluminium sheets of 60 inches as a result of the production process. A set of designing rules is required for the design of a spliced Glare fuselage resulting in a significant increase in complexity. Friction stir welding of the thin aluminium sheets in Glare...

A simplified method for the determination of damage arrest capabilities in stiffened structures

The recent application of Glass Reinforced Aluminium (Glare) in the Airbus A380 has proven to be a suitable candidate to replace metal structures. The reduction in weight and increased performance results in lower emissions and cost reduction. Therefore research has been performed at the Delft University of Technology, dedicated to the residual...

Predicting fatigue crack initiation and propagation in Glare reinforced frames

The most highly loaded frames of the newly developed Airbus A400M transport aircraft have glass reinforced aluminium laminate (Glare) straps attached to them to increase their resistance to fatigue damage. These straps were designed using static strength requirements for the frame. Basic justification was done in two steps. Firstly, the frame...