SABCAD Project
SABCAD (Structural Advanced Bonding of Thick Components for Advanced Design, Sponsor: Technology Strategy Board, £2.5M). Partners: Airbus UK, Imperial College London, Univ. of Surrey, BAE systems: The aim of this project was to reduce the weight, via the use of metallic laminate structural concepts produced in light weight aluminium alloy materials, combined with composite layers to improve the fatigue properties of the laminate (Hybrid composites such as Fibre Metallic Laminates) and Maturing structural bonding process by modelling and structural test.
Our team was responsible for modelling and testing (fatigue) of metallic and fibre metallic laminates to investigate the crack initiation and growth processes.
Main findings:
- Buckling driven delamination
- To consider cumulative damage model of the adhesive layer together with the metal layer
- To add damage model for the composite layer
- Effect of laminate lay-up, friction-stir welding