Foreign objects impact damage characteristics of aluminum/composite hybrid drive shaft

In this work, the low velocity impact damage characteristics of aluminum/composite hybrid drive shaft were investigated. The hybrid drive shaft was manufactured by stacking carbon epoxy composite prepregs and insulating layer for galvanic corrosion on the inner surface of an aluminum tube, and co-curing them in an autoclave under recommended cure cycle. After impacting the co-cured hybrid drive shafts using a drop-weight impact tester, the damage and delamination of the composite layers were observed with an ultrasonic C-scan, from which the damage modes of aluminum/composite hybrid shaft were found with respect to the stacking sequence of composite materials, the thickness of the aluminum tube and the impact energy. Finally, optimal stacking sequence of the composite material and optimal thickness of the aluminum tube for the drive shaft for low velocity impact were suggested.