Effects of the Number of Layers and Thickness Ratio on the Impact Fracture Behavior of AA6061/AA7075 Laminated Metal Composites

Abstract

The initial thickness ratio and number of layers of dissimilar metal components greatly influence the impact performance of laminated metal composites. In this paper, positive and lateral impact tests of 5-layer composite sheets with thickness ratios of 3:1, 1.35:1, and 1:2 and 80-layer composite sheets prepared by ARB (accumulative roll bonding) were conducted to study the influences of the thickness ratio and layer number on the impact fracture behavior of composite sheets. The results showed that the higher the proportion of AA7075, the higher the bending strength of the AA6061/AA7075 laminated composite sheet; compared with the 5-layer composite sheet, the side impact performance of the 80-layer composite sheet is obviously improved, and its side impact strength, energy absorbed in the crack initiation stage, and crack propagation stage are better than those of the 5-layer composite sheet. In addition, the toughening mechanism of the 80-layer composite sheet is mainly that the increase in the number of layers makes the cracks deflect more frequently. Under the rapid impact load, the impact energy absorbed by the sample increases with the increase in the number of layers.

Keywords

• laminated metal composites
• interface structure
• impact performance
• toughening mechanism