Special Issue of Metals on "Recent Advances in Fibre Metal Laminates" - Call for papers

Dear Colleagues,

Fibre-metal laminates (FMLs) are "hybrid" composite laminates comprised of both fibre-reinforced and metallic layers. Aluminium-based FMLs - such as ARALL and GLARE - have been used successfully for decades in aeronautical applications thanks to their better structural performances compared to "pure" fibre-reinforced laminates and lower unit weights compared to metals.

Today, novel classes of FMLs have been proposed to enhance - amongst other properties - their mechanical strength, fatigue life, fire resistance, and recyclability by using alternative metals (e.g., stainless steel, magnesium, titanium, etc.), natural fibres (e.g., flax, hemp, etc.), and multiple types of reinforcement (e.g., combined carbon and glass fibres, additive graphene nanoparticles, etc.). Furthermore, FMLs with smart capabilities can be manufactured by incorporating, for instance, shape memory alloys (SMAs), optical fibres, and piezoelectric materials. New fields of applications can be envisaged in the automotive and energy sectors, as well as in biomedical engineering and microelectronics.

The Special Issue "Recent Advances in Fibre Metal Laminates" provides a venue for the presentation of the most recent results of advanced research on FMLs. Scientists working in the theoretical modelling, numerical simulation, and experimental testing of FMLs are kindly invited to submit their papers.

Papers dealing with the mechanical, hygro-thermal, chemical, and electro-magnetic properties of FMLs are expected. Also, papers concerning the behaviour of FMLs under normal and exceptional operating conditions and their specific failure modes (yielding, fracture, delamination, fatigue, impact, corrosion, burning, etc.) are welcome. Lastly, papers addressing manufacturing and technological issues of FMLs, as well as papers presenting relevant industrial applications are also welcome.

Prof. Paolo S. Valvo
Guest Editor