Delamination buckling of fibre-metal laminates

A fibre-metal laminate is a composite of metal and fibre-reinforced prepreg layers. An example of such a material is Glare. It consists of alternating layers of aluminium and glass-fibre-reinforced prepreg. The material can b e sensitive to delamination buckling, which occurs when a partially delamin ated panel is subjected to a compressive force. The interaction of local bu ckling and extension of the delaminated zone typically results in a decreas e of the residual strength and, eventually, in a collapse of the structure. This phenomenon can be observed in experimental tests, but numerical analy ses are needed to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms and the c ritical parameters. In this paper, some experimental observations are discu ssed regarding delamination buckling in Glare and, on the basis of these ob servations, a numerical model is constructed at a meso-mechanical level. In this approach, solidlike shell elements are used to model the individual l ayers. They are connected by interface elements, which are capable of model ling delamination between the layers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.