Numerical and experimental investigations of the damping behaviour of hybrid CFRP-elastomer-metal laminates

Monolithic material solutions hardly fulfil the required characteristics profile of new products. Owing to this fact, an optimal mix of materials is desirable as already realised by e.g. fibre-metal laminates (FML). In this case, the combination of aluminium and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP) promises highest lightweight potential, but it also entails complex challenges concerning the corrosion potential and the mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion. To avoid these prospective disadvantages, one possibility is to introduce an elastomer ply into a CFRP-based FML and hence developing it to a Hybrid CFRP-elastomer-metal laminate (HyCEML). This approach allows not only a reduction of the thermal expansion mismatch between fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) and metal, but also prevents galvanic corrosion and, especially, enables a smart design of products with regard to adaptable laminate damping behaviour. The subject of this contribution is the investigation of the damping material behaviour different configurations of HyCEM laminates by numerical studies.