Mechanical behaviour of an amorphous metal ribbon reinforced resin-matrix composite

Abstract

Resin-matrix composites, reinforced with high aspect ratio 2826MB amorphous metal ribbon in a simple stacking pattern, were fabricated and evaluated. Typical composite properties at 60 vol% ribbon are a density of 5.27 g cm⁻³, a longitudinal tensile strength of 1740 MPa, a transverse tensile strength of 870 MPa, a near-isotropic in-plane modulus of 100 GPa and a fracture toughness similar to that of 6061-T6 aluminium alloy. These composites are also shown to have poor mechanical fatigue resistance. In comparison with other engineering materials, these composites are superior on a specific strength basis. However, they are not competitive with quasi-isotropic AS graphite-epoxy on a specific modulus basis. Because of this deficiency, it is concluded that amorphous metal ribbon reinforced composites would not be in a competitive position for most high performance composite applications. However, the high biaxial composite strength properties, potential low cost, and the unusual soft magnetic properties offered by the ribbons may result in some unique composite applications.