Critical fracture toughness, JC and δ5C, of unidirectional fibre-metal laminates.

Fibre-metal laminates (FMLs) are structural composites designed aiming to produce a damage-tolerant and high strength material. Their main characteristic is their very low fatigue crack propagation rates when compared to traditional aeronautical Al alloys. Their application in aeronautical structures demands a deep knowledge of a wide set of mechanical properties and technological values, including both fracture toughness and residual strength. The objectives of the present work were to present critical toughness values (JC and δ5C) of unidirectional FMLs obtained following a recently proposed methodology and to use them for critical crack length and residual strength predictions. Residual strengths of middle centre-cracked panels of Arall® 2 and 3 were predicted and compared to experimental values from the literature. The results showed that all FMLs evaluated presented higher fracture toughness and crack tolerance than their constituent alloys and that the measured fracture toughness was useful for an accurate prediction of residual strength in centre-cracked plates of Arall.