Fabrication Process, Tensile, and Gamma Rays Shielding Properties of Newly Developed Fiber Metal Laminates Based on an Al–Li Alloy and Carbon Fibers-Tungsten Carbide Nanoparticles Reinforced Phthalonitrile Resin Composite

In the present study, new fiber-metal laminates (FMLs) are manufactured from the lay-up process of the carbon fibers-tungsten carbide nanoparticles/phthalonitrile (CFs-WC/PN) composite and the Al–Li alloy. The properties of the developed hybrids are analyzed and compared with those of the monolithic alloy. Generally speaking, the results indicate that the amount of the fiber considerably affects the tensile properties. The mechanical properties of the FMLs show enhancements over both the Al–Li alloy and the CFs/PN composite individually. When the number of the composite layers varies from 4 to 12, the ultimate tensile strength of the prepared FMLs increase from 335.3 to 690.5 MPa. The FMLs present a ductile behavior (up to a failure strain of 20%), which can be attributed to the ductile fracture morphology of the Al–Li alloy. These improvements are the result of the synergistic combination of the high strength of composites and the superior ductility of metals. In the meantime, the gamma rays (γ-rays) shielding test reveals that increasing the weight amount of the tungsten carbide (WC) nanoparticles in the composite noticeably improves the screening ratio, reaching the exceptional value of 46% for the hybrid containing 20 wt% of WC.