On The Development Of A Strength Prediction Methodology For Fibre Metal Laminates In Pin Bearing

The development of Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) for application into aerospace structures represents a paradigm shift in airframe and material technology. By consolidating both monlithic metallic alloys and fibre reinforced composite layers, a new material structure is born exhibiting desired qualities emerging from its heterogeneous consituency. When mechanically fastened via pins, bolts and rivets, these laminated materials develop damage and ultimately fail via mechanisms that were not entirely understood and different than either their metallic or composite constituents. The development of a predictive methodology capable of characterizing how FMLs fastened with pins behave and fail would drastically reduce the amount of experimentation necessary for material qualification and be an invaluable design tool. The body of this thesis discusses the extension of the characteristic dimension approach to FMLS and the subsequent development of a new failure mechanism as part of a progressive damage infinte element (FE) modeling methodology with yielding, delamination and buckling representing the central tenets of the new mechanism. This yielding through delamination buckling (YDB) mechanism and progressive FE model were investigated through multiple experimental studies. The experimental investigations required the development of a protocol with emphasis on measuring deformation on a local scheme in addition to a global one. With the extended protocol employed, complete characterization of the material response was possbile and a new definition for yield in a pin bearing configuration was developed and subsequently extended to a tensile testing configuraiton. The performance of this yield definition was compared directly to existing definitions and was shown to be effective in both quasi-isotropic and orthotropic materials. The results of the experiments and FE simulations demonstrated that yielding (according to the new definition), buckling and delamination resulting in joint collapse and failure have all occurred within the stipulated predictions of the YDB mechanism.