Laser Forming of Fibre Metal Laminates

The laser forming process has been shown to be a viable method of shaping metallic components, as a means of rapid prototyping and of adjusting and aligning. Although the process does compete with conventional forming processes, applications are being discovered where laser forming alone can achieve the desired results. The application reported in this work demonstrates how the process can be used to form recently developed high strength fibre metal laminate materials. These materials due to their construction and high strength are difficult to form once constructed using conventional techniques. Fibre metal laminates are of particular interest to the aerospace industry, where the high strength yet lightweight construction of parts made with these materials offers significant weight reductions and hence a reduction in operational costs of new large commercial aircraft such as the Airbus A380. In addition a more recent application under investigation for these materials is in the construction of street furniture (e.g. litter bins) and airline cargo containers utilising their excellent blast resistance capabilities to save lives in the event of terrorism.

[1]  Kevin Scully,et al.  Laser Line Heating , 1987 .

[2]  F. Vollertsen,et al.  The laser bending of steel foils for microparts by the buckling mechanism-a model , 1995 .

[3]  C.A.J.R. Vermeeren The application of carbon fibres in ARALL laminates , 1991 .

[4]  Norman Jones,et al.  The Impact Response Of Novel Fibre Metal Laminates , 2002 .

[5]  J. P. Shackel,et al.  The metallurgical implications of laser forming Ti-6Al-4V sheet , 2001 .

[6]  Yiu-Wing Mai,et al.  Evaluations of effective crack growth and residual strength of fibre-reinforced metal laminates with a sharp notch , 1996 .

[7]  A. Vlot,et al.  Glare: History of the Development of a New Aircraft Material , 2001 .

[8]  H. Exner,et al.  Laser bending of etched silicon microstructures , 2001 .

[9]  Wesley J. Cantwell,et al.  The mechanical properties of fibre-metal laminates based on glass fibre reinforced polypropylene , 2000 .

[10]  William D. Callister,et al.  Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction , 1985 .

[11]  J. Hatch,et al.  Aluminum: Properties and Physical Metallurgy , 1984 .

[12]  Yoshiharu Namba,et al.  Study on precision laser forming of plastic with YAG laser , 2000 .

[13]  John Morton,et al.  Impact and subsequent fatigue damage growth in carbon fibre laminates , 1984 .

[14]  Yasunori Harada,et al.  Deformation behaviour of chromium sheets in mechanical and laser bending , 2002 .

[15]  S. Krishnakumar,et al.  Fiber Metal Laminates — The Synthesis of Metals and Composites , 1994 .

[16]  Wing Bun Lee,et al.  Laser bending of thin stainless steel sheets , 2000 .

[17]  Yiu-Wing Mai,et al.  Effects of fibre/matrix adhesion on carbon-fibre-reinforced metal laminates—II. impact behaviour , 1998 .

[18]  W.A.J. Mooenen Protective coatings for aircraft structures: A review , 1983 .

[19]  Ian R. Harrison,et al.  Adhesion Improvement in Polypropylene/Aluminum Laminates , 1993 .

[20]  Wesley J. Cantwell,et al.  Laser forming of metal laminate composite materials , 2003 .

[21]  Gary J. Cheng,et al.  Fatigue Life Prediction After Laser Forming , 2005 .

[22]  Jiang Zhe,et al.  Experimental study and computer simulation of fracture toughness of sheet metal after laser forming , 2005 .

[23]  W. M. Steen,et al.  Development of an integrated laser forming demonstrator system for the aerospace industry , 1998 .

[24]  R. M. Pearson,et al.  Laser thermal forming of sheet metal parts using desktop laser systems , 1997 .

[25]  Frank Vollertsen,et al.  Forming, Sintering and Rapid Prototyping , 1998 .

[26]  Keith C. C. Chan,et al.  Thermal expansion and deformation behaviour of aluminium-matrix composites in laser forming , 2001 .

[27]  W. Vorus,et al.  THE MECHANICS OF THE FLAME BENDING PROCESS: THEORY AND APPLICATIONS , 1987 .

[28]  Jan Willem Gunnink,et al.  Fibre metal laminates : an introduction , 2001 .

[29]  Y. Yao,et al.  Analysis and Prediction of Edge Effects in Laser Bending , 2001 .

[30]  Willem Hoving,et al.  Accurate manipulation using laser technology , 1997, Other Conferences.

[31]  K. Masubuchi,et al.  Finite element modeling of laser forming , 1997 .

[32]  R. Bucci,et al.  A crack growth resistance curve approach to fiber/metal laminate fracture toughness evaluation , 1993 .

[33]  J. Geusic,et al.  LASER OSCILLATIONS IN Nd‐DOPED YTTRIUM ALUMINUM, YTTRIUM GALLIUM AND GADOLINIUM GARNETS , 1964 .

[34]  A. Tam,et al.  Laser Bending of Ceramics and Application to Manufacture Magnetic Head Sliders in Disk Drives , 2002 .

[35]  J. Sinke,et al.  Property Optimisation in Fibre Metal Laminates , 2004 .

[36]  Isaac M Daniel,et al.  Engineering Mechanics of Composite Materials , 1994 .

[37]  Lin Li,et al.  Finite element simulation of laser tube bending: Effect of scanning schemes on bending angle, distortions and stress distribution , 2007 .

[38]  M. Marya,et al.  A study on the laser forming of near-alpha and metastable beta titanium alloy sheets , 2001 .

[39]  T. W. Clyne,et al.  An Introduction to Composite Materials: Fabrication , 1996 .

[40]  Stuart Edwardson,et al.  Generation of 3D Shapes Using a Laser Forming Technique , 2001 .

[41]  G.H.J.J. Roebroeks,et al.  Fibre-metal laminates: Recent developments and applications , 1994 .

[42]  Stuart Edwardson,et al.  An experimental study of laser micro-forming using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser and scanning optics , 2003 .

[43]  Romesh C. Batra,et al.  Residual strength of centrally cracked metal/fiber composite laminates , 1996 .

[44]  W. Steen Laser Material Processing , 1991 .

[45]  A. Gibson,et al.  Coupon Tests of Fibre Reinforced Plastics at Elevated Temperatures in Offshore Processing Environments , 1998 .

[46]  Jack W. Langelaan,et al.  Damage tolerance modelling of fibre/metal laminate fuselage structures , 1997 .

[47]  W. M. Steen,et al.  Advances in laser forming , 1998 .

[48]  Paul Compston,et al.  Interfacial fracture toughness of polyester-based fiber-metal laminates with primary contact and secondary adhesive bonding , 2004 .

[49]  Zhao Guoqun,et al.  A new analytical model for laser bending , 2004 .

[50]  A. Vlot,et al.  The Influence of the Constituent Properties on the Residual Strength of Glare , 2001 .

[51]  Norman Jones,et al.  Impact perforation resistance and fracture mechanisms of a thermoplastic based fiber-metal laminate , 2001 .

[52]  Wenchuan Li,et al.  Laser Forming with Constant Line Energy , 2001 .

[53]  C. Sun,et al.  Characterization of impact damage in ARALL laminates , 1993 .

[54]  Manfred Geiger,et al.  Laser forming of aluminium and aluminium alloys — microstructural investigation , 2001 .

[55]  de R René Borst,et al.  Delamination buckling of fibre–metal laminates , 2001 .

[56]  P. Michaleris,et al.  Development of a system for the laser assisted forming of plate , 2001 .

[57]  Yiu-Wing Mai,et al.  On the fracture mechanical behaviour of fibre reinforced metal laminates (FRMLs) , 2000 .

[58]  R. C. Alderliesten,et al.  Fatigue and Damage Tolerance of Glare , 2003 .

[59]  Masaaki Ando,et al.  On Angular Distortion of Hull Steel Plates by Line Heating Methods , 1973 .

[60]  J. Sinke,et al.  Development of Fibre Metal Laminates: concurrent multi-scale modeling and testing , 2006 .

[61]  Tadashi Misu,et al.  Laser forming of thin foil by a newly developed sample holding method , 2003 .

[62]  Maurice Whelan,et al.  Embedded fibre Bragg grating sensors in advanced composite materials , 2001 .

[63]  P. A. Hooijmeijer,et al.  Maintenance of Glare Structures and Glare as Riveted or Bonded Repair Material , 2003 .

[64]  W. Chambers San Antonio, Texas , 1940 .

[65]  Stuart Edwardson,et al.  Correction of distortion and design shape in aluminium structures using laser forming , 2006 .

[66]  Werner Goldsmith,et al.  The mechanics of penetration of projectiles into targets , 1978 .

[67]  P. Mallick Fiber-reinforced composites : materials, manufacturing, and design , 1989 .

[68]  S. Edwardson,et al.  Strain Gauge Analysis of Laser Forming , 2003 .

[69]  Yiu-Wing Mai,et al.  Effect of fibre/matrix adhesion on residual strength of notched composite laminates , 1998 .

[70]  G. Dearden,et al.  Laser Assisted Forming for Ship Building , 2003 .

[71]  H. Karian,et al.  Handbook Of Polypropylene And Polypropylene Composites , 1999 .

[72]  Tadashi Misu,et al.  Forming characteristics of thin metal plate with diode laser beam , 2002 .

[73]  Jos Sinke,et al.  Manufacturing of GLARE Parts and Structures , 2003 .

[74]  Maurice Whelan,et al.  Residual strain measurement and impact response of optical fibre Bragg grating sensors in fibre metal laminates , 2001 .

[75]  Yiu-Wing Mai,et al.  Effects of fibre/matrix adhesion on carbon-fibre-reinforced metal laminates—I.: Residual strength , 1998 .

[76]  Xianfan Xu,et al.  Experimental and 3D Finite Element Studies of CW Laser Forming of Thin Stainless Steel Sheets , 2001 .

[77]  Gareth Thomson,et al.  A feedback control system for laser forming , 1997 .

[78]  A. Vlot,et al.  Development of fibre metal laminates for advanced aerospace structures , 2000 .

[79]  Isamu Miyamoto,et al.  Deformation characteristics of plastics in YAG laser forming , 2004, International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication.

[80]  A. Vlot,et al.  Impact Damage Resistance of Various Fibre Metal Laminates , 1997 .

[81]  C. Patel,et al.  Continuous-Wave Laser Action on Vibrational-Rotational Transitions of C O 2 , 1964 .

[82]  Zhenqiang Yao,et al.  Temperature gradient mechanism in laser forming of thin plates , 2007 .

[83]  C.A.J.R. Vermeeren The Residual Strength of Fibre Metal Laminates , 1995 .

[84]  Anthony Kelly,et al.  Comprehensive composite materials , 1999 .

[85]  Y. Yao,et al.  Effects of strain rate in laser forming , 1999 .

[86]  A. Asundi,et al.  Fiber metal laminates: An advanced material for future aircraft , 1997 .

[87]  A. Kinloch Adhesion and adhesives , 1987 .

[88]  John Morton,et al.  Detection of impact damage in CFRP laminates , 1985 .

[89]  E. Barbero Introduction to Composite Materials Design , 1998 .

[90]  T. Maiman,et al.  5 – Stimulated Optical Radiation in Ruby* , 1969 .

[91]  W. J. Slagter,et al.  Use of rule of mixtures and metal volume fraction for mechanical property predictions of fibre-reinforced aluminium laminates , 1994, Journal of Materials Science.

[92]  Norman Jones,et al.  Influence of loading rate on the interfacial fracture toughness of a polyamide-based fiber-metal laminate , 2002 .

[93]  J. Frühauf,et al.  Plastic reshaping of silicon microstructures: process, characterization and application , 2001 .

[94]  Duncan P. Hand,et al.  Modelling and calibration of bending strains for iterative laser forming , 2005 .

[95]  Shangyang Lin,et al.  Characterization of laser bending under different cooling conditions , 2002 .

[96]  K.S.C. Kuang,et al.  Real-Time damage detection in thermoplastic-based composite materials with embedded multi-mode optical fiber sensors , 2002 .

[97]  Xianfan Xu,et al.  Laser bending for adjusting curvatures of hard disk suspensions , 2005 .

[98]  C.A.J.R. Vermeeren,et al.  An Historic Overview of the Development of Fibre Metal Laminates , 2003 .

[99]  S. Tsai,et al.  Introduction to composite materials , 1980 .

[100]  Mark S. Pridham,et al.  Material property changes associated with laser forming of mild steel components , 2001 .

[101]  A. Vlot,et al.  Impact loading on fibre metal laminates , 1996 .

[102]  Wesley J. Cantwell,et al.  The Effect of Strain Rate on the Interfacial Fracture Properties of Carbon Fiber-metal Laminates , 1998 .

[103]  O. J. Bosker Blunt notch strength , 2001 .

[104]  Kwok-On Tong,et al.  Laser forming of titanium and other metals is useable within metallurgical constraints , 1998 .

[105]  W. M. Steen,et al.  Laser bending of high strength alloys , 1998 .

[106]  K. G. Watkins,et al.  Geometrical influences on multi-pass laser forming , 2006 .

[107]  Bor Z. Jang,et al.  Advanced polymer composites , 1994 .

[108]  L. B. Vogelesang,et al.  Towards application of fibre metal laminates in large aircraft , 1999 .

[109]  Stuart Edwardson,et al.  'Laser forming of thin section non ferrous metals with a Nd:YAG laser source' , 2005 .

[110]  R. L. Cooke,et al.  Laser Forming of Aerospace Alloys , 2001 .

[111]  A. Fahr,et al.  Nondestructive evaluation methods for damage assessment in fiber‐metal laminates , 2000 .

[112]  Y. Mai,et al.  An experimental study of the influence of fibre–matrix interface on fatigue tensile strength of notched composite laminates , 2001 .