Damage failure prediction study of carbon fiber metal laminates in hot stamping process

In addressing the difficulty of forming Fiber Metal Laminates (FMLs), a laminate composed of a 0.1 mm-thick 304 Stainless Steel Foil (SSF) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) as the base material is prepared using a specific process. Subsequently, forming limit diagrams are obtained through hemispherical bulge forming experiments to investigate the forming performance of FMLs laminates. The damage phenomena of various forming specimens during the thermal stamping process are analyzed. Based on different damage forms, corresponding theoretical models are established to simulate and predict the forming damage modes of FMLs through simulation. The research results indicate that the stamping formability of FMLs is influenced by the damage tolerance of the thin stainless steel foil. During the thermal stamping process, FMLs may experience delamination, fracture/crack of the thin stainless steel foil, and rupture/tearing/wrinkling of the prepreg. To address these issues, cohesive elements, GTN-M-K damage, and Hashin damage models are established, providing a reasonable simulation prediction of the stamping damage phenomena of FMLs.