Tensile and Flexural Mechanical Behavior of Epoxy‐Based Glass/Basalt Fiber Hybrid Metal Laminates: Mechanistic Insights Into Hybrid Ratio Effects

ABSTRACT Fiber metal laminates (FMLs) have gained attention in aerospace and automotive applications because of their high stiffness, strength, and impact resistance. Traditional glass‐fiber/epoxy laminates, however, show limited toughness. Basalt fibers, with better thermal stability and corrosion resistance, offer a promising alternative. Combining glass and basalt fibers in an epoxy resin matrix within aluminum‐based laminates provides a practical way to balance strength and toughness. This study examined aluminum‐based glass/basalt fiber hybrid laminates with an epoxy resin matrix under different hybridization ratios. Five configurations were prepared by adjusting the basalt‐to‐glass ply ratios in the composite layer. Tensile and three‐point flexural tests (ASTM D3039 and ASTM D7264) were conducted to evaluate mechanical properties. Fracture morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a two‐parameter Weibull statistical model was applied to assess the reliability of flexural strength. The results show that the hybridization ratio has a strong influence on both tensile and flexural responses. The best performance occurred at a basalt‐to‐glass ratio of 6:2, where tensile and flexural strengths increased by 70.8% and 74.6% compared with the pure glass/epoxy laminate. Microscopic analysis revealed failure mechanisms such as fiber fracture, matrix cracking, fiber/matrix debonding, and delamination. Predictions from the Weibull model matched the experimental results closely, with errors below 5%. These findings highlight the role of hybrid design in improving material performance. Properly tailoring the glass/basalt ratio in epoxy‐based fiber‐metal laminates can significantly enhance mechanical reliability, offering valuable guidance for structural applications in aerospace and automotive engineering.