Chapter 9 Fiber–Metal Laminate Panels Subjected to Blast Loading G.S. Langdon, G.N. Nurick, D. Karagiozova, and W.J. Cantwell Abstract Fiber–metal laminates (FML) are hybrid metal and composite structural materials that have been attracting interest due to the improved fatigue and im- pact resistance reported in the literature (J Mater Proc Tech 103:1–15, 2000; Int J Impact Eng 18(3):291–307, 1996; Compos Struct 61:73–88, 2003; Appl Com- put Mater 11:295–315, 2004). Much less is known about their performance under blast loading conditions, as until recently there was very little written in the lit- erature on this subject. This chapter reviews experimental and numerical studies that focus on the blast response of FMLs manufactured from aluminium alloy and glass fiber-reinforced polymer layers. Herein, the difference in response to localized and uniformly distributed blast loading are reviewed, application of nondimensional analysis techniques used for steel are described, and any potential advantages of FMLs over the equivalent areal density metal panels are highlighted. Keywords Fibre metal laminates  Composites  Panels  Blast  Debonding failure  Fracture  Aluminium  Themoplastics  Impulsive loading  Plates 9.1 Introduction Recent world events have demonstrated that the risk of subversive activity contin- ues to be evident. Those at risk from the threat of blast loading (aside from the general public) include those working in the military, landmine clearance, trans- port, defence, and offshore petroleum storage industries. Mitigation measures are often used to reduce the damaging effects of blast loading upon structures, plants, and personnel. These measures are broadly classified as either active or passive systems. Active systems are those that are actively deployed in response to a blast event. Few active systems are used in practice because of the time required to detect and deploy the active measure. Passive systems are present within the structure and do not require anything to activate them. For most applications, passive sys- tems are preferred as they do not rely upon detection and deployment mechanisms. A. Shukla et al. (eds.), Dynamic Failure of Materials and Structures, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0446-1 9, c  Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 269