This paper presents experimental measurement methods for the determination and evaluation of process related thermal residual stresses in fiber metal laminates. A cure monitoring system with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is used to measure the in-plane strains during processing of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP)-steel laminates. The simultaneous measurement captures the thermal expansion during the heating stages, the cure shrinkage, and the cooling thermal shrinkage. The results enable the characterization of the co-cure bonding process and the stress transfer between the metal and FRP-layers during the creation process. The residual strains, which are used for calculation of the residual stresses, are recorded at room temperature after manufacturing. In addition, an advanced method using FBG-sensors and the deflection of asymmetric hybrid specimens was developed to validate the gained residual stress data. Asymmetrical specimens are created by removing selected layers after cure. Quantitative evaluation is achieved by determination of their curvature and measuring the strain changes with the embedded FBG-sensors. For validation, the methods were successfully demonstrated on two different curing cycles with different resulting residual stress levels. The simultaneous strain measurement enables the investigation of stress development and delivers more in-depth process knowledge for further optimization of the manufacturing process.
This paper focuses on the reduction of process-related thermal residual stress in fiber metal laminates and its impact on the mechanical properties. Different modifications during fabrication of co-cure bonded steel/carbon epoxy composite hybrid structures were investigated. Specific examinations are conducted on UD-CFRP-Steel specimens, modifying temperature, pressure or using a thermal expansion clamp during manufacturing. The impact of these parameters is then measured on the deflection of asymmetrical specimens or due yield-strength measurements of symmetrical specimens. The tensile strength is recorded to investigate the effect of thermal residual stress on the mechanical properties. Impact tests are performed to determine the influence on resulting damage areas at specific impact energies. The experiments revealed that the investigated modifications during processing of UD-CFRP-Steel specimens can significantly lower the thermal residual stress and thereby improve the tensile strength.
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