Tensile behaviour of titanium-based carbon-fibre/epoxy laminate

Abstract Titanium-based carbon-fibre/epoxy laminates (TI-CF FMLs) are a type of fibre metal laminates (FMLs) formed by stacking thin layers of titanium alloy and carbon-fibre/epoxy laminates to combine the advantages of both constituent materials. Applications in various advanced fields, like aerospace, automotive, infrastructure and marine engineering industries, require such lightweight material with high strength/stiffness and with the capability of absorbing sufficient energy subject to tension. In this study, the tensile behaviour of TI-CF FMLs was investigated under quasi-static loading. A comprehensive experimental study was conducted on twelve different configurations of FMLs as well as their constituent materials (i.e., Ti-6Al-4V, AA 2024-T3, and carbon-fibre/epoxy laminates). The stress–strain curves of the TI-CF FMLs were obtained and characterised into three stages. For comparison, the specific tensile properties of the materials were analysed. Moreover, the specific energy absorption reflecting the energy absorption capacity of the materials was also evaluated. The effects of the types and volume fractions of metal, and the orientations of fibre on the specific tensile performance of TI-CF FMLs were investigated through a parametric study, bringing more insights into the design of TI-CF FMLs under tension. Based on the obtained results, TI-CF FMLs with higher fraction of 0° fibres and with metals featuring better specific strength/stiffness seemed to have enhanced specific tensile performance and improved specific energy absorption before failure.