ABSTRACT
Fibre metal laminates (FMLs) are categorised as sandwich materials which are composed of fibre-reinforced composites and metallic alloys. FMLs are relatively novel materials in the field of composites. The purpose of developing FMLs is to tackle the demerit of weak fatigue crack resistance of aluminium alloys. Due to the fibre bridging mechanism in FMLs, these sandwich materials encompass superior fatigue crack resistance over metallic alloys. Over the years, it has been identified that FMLs also exhibit excellent impact properties compared to their individual constituents. These superior fatigue crack and impact resistances make FMLs being widely used in the aerospace sector as the fuselage materials. This chapter intends to provide an insight into the classification of standardised FMLs, including ARALL, GLARE and CARALL. The different types of core materials in the composite sandwich panels are also discussed. Finally, the surface pre-treatment of the metallic facesheets of FMLs and the manufacturing techniques for both thermoset- and thermoplastic-based FMLs are clearly explained.
