A novel aluminium/CFRP hybrid composite with a bio-inspired crossed-lamellar microstructure for preservation of structural integrity

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate that a novel hybrid composite of aluminium and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) with a microstructure inspired by a biological crossed-lamellar microstructure is an attractive alternative for applications where structural integrity is paramount. Composites with such microstructure are prototyped and tested using both standard and thin-ply CFRP prepreg. Three-point bend tests are carried out in an SEM environment, showing extensive diffuse damage in the CFRP and yielding in the aluminium. This is the first hybrid crossed-lamellar-inspired microstructure in the literature and the results demonstrate that this novel microstructure can be loaded up to record large curvatures (in comparison with other CFRPs and hybrid CFRPs) while retaining its structural integrity and dissipating energy under stable conditions.