Bending behavior of hybrid laminates made of aluminum and wood for sustainable lightweight structures

Substituting fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) with wood-based materials significantly increases the sustainability of fiber-metal laminates (FML). Therefore, the present work compares the three-point bending behavior of simple wood laminates with that of hybrid aluminum-wood laminates. Wood laminates consisting of four layers of 1-mm-thick birch veneers were adhesive-bonded with a single 1-mm-thick sheet of commercial aluminum alloy EN AW-6016-T4. Longitudinal, transverse, and bidirectional orientations of the wood fibers were considered. Prior to three-point bending, the laminates were exposed to different moistures and temperatures. The bending behavior was analyzed in terms of (i) the maximum bending force, (ii) the bending angle at maximum bending force, and (iii) the strains monitored on the side surface of the laminates during each bending test. The simulation software LS-DYNA was used to create a finite element (FE) model of the bending procedure, which considered the experimentally determined material properties. In general, the hybrid aluminum-wood laminates showed a larger bending angle at maximum bending force than simple wood laminates. The maximum bending force of the laminates gradually decreased with increasing moisture content. The FE model was able to predict the bending behavior at different moisture and temperature conditions.