Impact Resistance Study of Fiber–Metal Hybrid Composite Laminate Structures: Experiment and Simulation

Thermoplastic carbon fiber/aluminum alloy hybrid composite laminates fully integrate the advantages of fiber-reinforced composites and metallic materials, exhibiting high fatigue resistance and impact resistance, with broad applications in fields such as national defense, aerospace, automotive engineering, and marine engineering. In this paper, thermoplastic carbon fiber/aluminum alloy hybrid composite laminates were first prepared using a hot-press machine; then, high-velocity impact tests were conducted on the specimens using a first-stage light gas gun test system. Comparative experimental analyses were performed to evaluate the energy absorption performance of laminates with different ply thicknesses and layup configurations. High-speed cameras and finite element analysis software were employed to analyze the failure process and modes of the laminates under impact loading. The results demonstrate that fiber-metal laminates exhibit higher specific energy absorption than carbon fiber composite laminates. Meanwhile, the numerical simulation results can effectively reflect the experimental outcomes in terms of the velocity-time relationship, failure modes during the laminate impact process, and failure patterns after the laminate impact.