Tensile behavior of CFRP-Steel composite laminates

Carbon-fiber/epoxy steel composite laminate (CSL) is a type of fiber metal laminate formed by stacking thin layers of carbon-fiber/epoxy and steel sheet. To investigate the stress-strain relationship under monotonic tensile and cyclic tensile, comprehensive experiments were conducted on five groups, including four groups of CSL specimens with different steel volume fractions (SVF) and one group of control steel plate specimens. Furthermore, stable post-yield modules and comparatively small residual deformation could be observed from CSLs curves. Based on the experimental failure mode, the theoretical models were proposed, and the numerical simulation was established, and verified by the test results. Theoretical calculations and numerical analysis were performed to estimate the effect of varying the SVF on the mechanical performance of the CSL, particularly in the absorption and energy dissipation coefficients.