Mechanical and microstructural investigations of advanced fibre metal composites for the light weight applications

Abstract

Fiber or matrix alone cannot match the properties of synthetic components. Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) composites are the most common industrial composite. With so many materials available, the need for electrical transportation is rising, demanding lighter designs. Switching to multi-material designs with hybrid architectures is one solution. In the automotive industry, metals and FRP are joined to form hybrid structures. Most recent experiments have integrated thermoset FRPs with sealed metal additions like thin layers or metal foils. Traditional sheets or foils need surface preparation for adherence, unlike open metallic reinforcements like grid-like sheets or wire meshes. Coupling metal with FRPs allows cross-linking between pure metal and FRP components. Multi-material components enable load-related dimensioning. For this, GFRP composites and open metal blanks were combined. Proposed study uses woven basalt fibers and aluminium 8090 sheet to make Fiber Metal Laminate (FML) plates. FML plates are created using book press compression molding with epoxy resin (LY 556) and hardener (XY 54). This study also examines the effects of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Nano-scale silicon carbide particles (SiC) on pressure-molded basalt reinforced epoxy composites, except for ordinary BFRP composite, which has a weight fraction of 60 wt. % woven basalt fiber and 40 wt. % epoxy resin. SiC and MWCNTs were kept between 3 to 15 wt.% and 0.5 to 2.5 wt.%, respectively newline