Progressive Failure Characteristics and Mechanisms of Fiber-Metal Actuator Cylinders under Axial Tensile

An original fiber-metal actuator cylinder (FMAC) was elaborately designed and skillfully manufactured, and experimentally validated by using quasi-static axial tensile test, and mechanical characteristics and failure mechanisms were analyzed and discussed from experimental results. New three-layer finite element (FE) model and novel solution algorithm were presented for progressive failure modelling (PFM) of the FMAC by integrating mixed failure criterion and distinct damage constitutive models of metallic and composite materials. Numerical predictions agree well with experimental findings, manifesting the practical usage of new model. New model proposed opens an avenue for evaluating mechanical responses of the FMAC in engineering design.